DIRECTED BY TRAFICON

ISSUE 16, JULY 2010 WWW.TRAFICON.COM

THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF TRAFFIC VIDEO DETECTION

PEDE

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EDITORIAL

Greetings!

This is a special and really exciting moment: my first editorial as Traficon’s new CEO!

I would like to begin by thanking Jo Versavel,

the founder of this fantastic company, for the trust he has placed in me as his suc-cessor. I have the deepest respect for all the pioneering work Jo has done to make Traficon the renowned company it is today. So, I regard it as an honour to serve as the new CEO.

I’m really looking forward to leading Traficon into the future. The challenge is to keep bringing innovative solutions for safer and smoother traffic onto the worldwide market. As we satisfy our current and new customers, we can be sure that Traficon will enjoy steady growth in the years to come.

Cars and PeopleUp to now, our video detection solu-

tions have always revolved around vehicles. At the beginning of this year, we introduced two new products that focus on protecting vulnerable road users, such as pedestri-ans and cyclists. These two innovations – SafeWalk and C-Walk – are designed to ensure greater safety for pedestrians and to improve efficiency at intersections and crossings.

As pedestrian safety and efficiency fit in beautifully with our company mission – and as a firm believer in Vision Zero – I am convinced that these products will make further positive contributions towards preventing traffic injuries and fatalities.

Intelligent CitiesIn the not too distant future, cities are

going to need more intelligence so that people can live and travel safely in these crowded, fast-paced urban jungles. But our crew is definitely up to the challenge: with our solutions, we’re ready to make any city on the planet more intelligent. After all, it just so happens that intelligence is what Traficon does best!

— Lode Caenepeel, CEO

THE INSIDER › JULY 2010

Every year, more than 1.2 million people die on the world’s roadways, and as many as 50 million others are injured. Nearly half of those killed each year are pedestrians, motorcyclists and passen-gers on public transport (*).

Historically, many of the measures put in place to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries have been aimed at protect-ing car occupants. Now, road designers, town planners, architects and traffic managers are also focusing on protect-ing pedestrians: ‘Safer by design’ seems to be the mantra sweeping through this sector. Design improvements range from simple, cost-effective solutions – such as adding more pedestrian refuges to roadsides – to more high-end deploy-ments, such as installing pedestrian sensors to control traffic signals.

In this issue …This newsletter highlights how video

detection technology can provide added value to protecting pedestrian traffic. We’re rolling out the red carpet for a new pedestrian detection concept ... directed and produced by Traficon!

But there’s more, too. You will also find up-to-the-minute news on Traficon’s latest video detection management system – called Flux – which enables transportation centre operators to meet the challenges of today’s transportation management demands. And finally, we update you on two unique ITS projects, where Traficon detectors are connect-ing Albanian people and Chinese places – safely. B

COVER STORY

Protecting People on the Move

(*) Data gathered from the global status report on road safety – World Health Organization.

KUKES (ALBANIA) - In May 2010, the Albanian Minister of Transportation reopened the first part of the Thirre Tunnel after an eight-month closure for final construction repair work and fine-tuning. The tunnel is part of the newly built Durres-Kukes-Morine highway – which, at 170 km (105 miles) long, is the largest infrastructure project in the history of Albania. And, of course, Traficon is always keen to help make history – so count us in!

This four-lane highway begins at the Albanian port of Durres and ends at the city of Morine, locat-ed on the bor-der of Albania and Kosovo. Not only will this highway further strengthen the already deep ties between Albania and Kosovo, it is expected to reduce the travel time between Durres and Morine from six hours to two.

Keeping the tunnel safeAnd what is Traficon’s role here?

Well, Traficon delivered its field-proven automatic incident detection system to maintain safety inside the Thirre Tun-nel. 144 CCTV cameras monitor this 5.8 km long double-tube tunnel through the Runes mountain. The video detec-

tion equipment is installed in a central location close to the control centre, where all video processing, alarm, event and storage management is conducted by the VIP-T modules together with Traficon’s management software (TMS). When a camera’s detector spots an incident, the operator can instantly view that feed along with the images from the subsequent cameras. This instant global visual feedback assists the operator in reacting appropriately to any potentially dangerous traffic situation.

Construction of the Thirre Tunnel began in May 2007, and the north-bound tunnel tube was inaugurated in June 2009. The south-bound

tube is scheduled to be completed in July 2010. This project is a cooperation between Enka – Savronik and Traficon. B

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

The Albania-Kosovo Highway Project: Connecting People via the Thirre Tunnel

SCENE 2

APPEARANCESFAIRS & EXHIBITIONS WORLDWIDE

ff 8-11 August 2010ITE Annual Meeting and Exhibit (Vancouver, Canada) Stand 107

ff 14-16 September 2010JCT Traffic Signal Symposium (Hertfordshire, U.K.)

ff 25-29 October 201014th ITS World Congress (Busan, Korea) Stand D32 & D33

ff 10-12 November 2010TranspoQuip (Sao Paulo, Brasil) Stand 1522

ff 23-25 November 2010Salon des Maires (Paris, France)

SNAP SHOTSNEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

Traficon's video detec-tion system will be used for the first time in Qatar – the prestigious project is called The Pearl. But this isn’t

Traficon’s first project in the Middle East. VIP detectors are already implemented in the Airport tunnel in Dubai, and the fa-mous Palm Jumeirah is the proud owner of Traficon technology as well. L TrafiCam passes UK detector trial test – proving that this vehicle presen-ce sensor is a viable alternative to the inductive loop for use with SCOOT and MOVA. L Thanks to our Italian partner, La Semaforica, the first TrafiCam instal-

lations in Nigeria are a fact. The number of countries that use TrafiCam services is now up to 60, with over 20,000 of these

detectors operational. L After a suc-cessful VIP-T AID installation monitoring the hard shoulder on Germany’s A73, a new extension is being planned near Ba-varia. Opening an extra lane during peak hours has proven to be a beneficial and reliable solution. L Philippe Gélin and Steve Collins at Intertunnel Italy 2010. A special thank you to Mr. Gélin for his loyal support and tremendous efforts in

helping Traficon to be successful in France. Merci beaucoup – En-joy your retirement!

THE INSIDER › JULY 2010

XIAMEN (CHINA) - In constructing the unique Xiamen Xiang’an Tunnel – main-land China’s first undersea tunnel – the government of Xiamen chose Traficon as its preferred partner for installing a high-performance Automatic Incident Detection (AID) system.

The three-lane Xiamen Xiang'an Tun-nel is almost 9 kilometres long, 5.95 kilometres of which are under the sea. Its deepest section is 70 metres below sea level. Starting from Wutong of Xia-men Island, the tunnel terminates at Xibin, Xiang'an District, on the mainland. A trip from one side to the other now only takes 6 minutes.

Keeping a camera eye on thingsIn addition to the standard security

devices (including fire extinguishers, phone booths and emergency passages), intelligent cameras are installed to

detect all traffic abnormalities inside the tunnel. The tunnel was opened to traffic at the end of April 2010.

Nico Verstraete, Traficon's Sales Manager for China, emphasises the project’s speed:

"The quick deployment of this AID project was really extraordinary. Thanks to the high-level technical profes-sionalism of our local Chinese partner Greenway, the total system – from installing the cameras to fine-tuning the VIP detectors – was up and running in less than three months!" B

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

Traficon's AID Technology Part of the First Undersea Tunnel in Mainland China

"Traficon delivered its field-proven automatic incident detection system to maintain safety inside the Thirre Tunnel"

The highway passes through the 5.8km-long Thirre Tunnel across Mount Runes.

The most dangerous sections of the Xiang’an tunnel are monitored and

secured by 32 VIP detectors.

Image source: www.gywb.cn

THE INSIDER › JULY 2010

We are proud to present ‘Flux’ – Trafi-con’s new video detection management system. Collecting traffic data, events, alarms and video images generated by the Traficon video detectors, this intel-ligent software platform provides a user-friendly interface for real-time traffic monitoring and powerful event alerting.

Flux’s main job is to manage and con-trol all traffic information generated by the various video detectors and to make it useful, meaningful and relevant to the user. Flux is designed to handle any type of Traficon detector. So, in addition to VIP modules, integrated sensors like TrafiCam x-stream and Collect-R can also be connected to Flux. Depending on the type of application, it’s even possible to combine both detectors in one system.

Flux provides 24/7 reliability, avail-ability and redundancy when it comes to managing and controlling the wide range of data and events coming from the vari-ous video detectors. From small-scale video detection to large-scale systems with hundreds of detection devices, Flux enables transportation centre operators to meet the challenges of today’s trans-portation management demands. Flux monitors the transportation network during normal, planned traffic conditions, and responds quickly and efficiently to unexpected traffic conditions.

Today, Flux is installed in the Direc-tion Interdepartementale des Routes d'Ile-de-France (DIRIF) project, where it is managing and visualising traffic data and events generated by the 1500 VIP-T AID detectors across the 22 Paris tunnels. B

ff Fast, reliable and stable system

ff Easy installation, Windows and Linux compatible

ff User-friendly configuration and operation

ff Browser-based Graphical User Interface

ff Instant recording with pre- and post-event information

ff Customizable and multi-user setup with levels of authorization

ff Expandable, scalable system with modular design

ff Integration of redundancy activation

ff Open architecture for easy integration with larger traffic management systems

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT BEHIND THE SCENES

Showing, Sharing & Shouting!

Have you heard about the ‘Innova-tion Market’ concept? No? Well, that’s absolutely normal … because it’s a unique idea generated by Traficon member Peter Jamée and introduced in Traficon for the first time at the beginning of this year. The main goal is to communicate about all the innovations that are ‘floating around’ in the company – but in a more informal market format.

Why this format? A market brings together supply (what you have to offer) and demand (what you are looking for) in an open atmosphere. So, the ‘Innovation Market’ concept provides an opportunity to show an innovation project in progress or facilitates discussion of an idea that is worth sharing with other Traficon team members. There were 24 proposals for the first edition – 24 people shouting proudly to promote their idea and to win the Most Popular Innovation award! B

BEHIND THE SCENES

Easy as ABCUser-friendliness is simply a conditio

sine qua non for all Traficon products. So, we are constantly on the look-out for new ways to enhance ease-of-use and make our detectors truly 100% simple to operate.

Video tutorials are an initiative recently launched to help all our users: everything – from A-Z – is explained visu-ally. This tool is now available online for several sensors and should make installation and configuration child’s play! To access these online video tutori-als, just send a quick e-mail to: traficon@traficon.com. Fun guaranteed! B

KEY BENEFITS

Dries Verbrugge, the first winner of the MPI award, together with organizer Peter Jamée.

PEDE

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THE INSIDER › JULY 2010

Vulnerable road users – such as pedestrians, cyclists and riders of powered two-wheelers (PTWs) and their passengers – account for about 46% of the world’s 1.2 million road traffic deaths every single year. As a result of these shocking statistics, urban design, traffic management and automotive safety are placing increasing focus on vulnerable road users. Traficon is taking the lead in the field of intelligent trans-port systems by designing new video detection solutions to turn back this

worrying trend. This year, Traficon has become the

proud parent of two new pedestrian video detection products. The main goals of these products are: to provide better protection to all vulnerable road users, to reduce the number of pedes-trian injuries and fatalities, and to avoid delaying both pedestrians and motorists unnecessarily.

So, we now present to you: SafeWalk and TrafiCam C-Walk – two products to help you always walk on the safe side!

With SafeWalk, Traficon has brought a pedestrian detection sensor onto the market that pedestrians simply have to admire as they pass by. The product stands out from the rest by its chic and unique design alone. But what is this special product, and how does it work?

Designed to detect pedestrians waiting at the roadside, SafeWalk integrates 3D stereovision with video image processing technology. This new CMOS-based 3D detection system not only ensures improved safety for pedes-trians at intersections and (mid-block) crossings, but because it manages and controls traffic lights more intelligently, it makes both pedestrian and motorist traffic more efficient, thus providing significant cost-savings.

Delivering 3D informationBy using two CMOS cameras in

parallel, SafeWalk converts two-dimen-sional images into three-dimensional information – which is critical, because 3D info enables operators to distinguish between animate objects and irrelevant

background images like shadows and reflections. Now, embedded and field-proven Traficon algorithms can use this 3D information to provide more sophis-ticated analysis – delivering accurate information on pedestrian presence and pedestrian behaviour.

In addition to its high detection rate and virtual immunity to false alerts, the great strength of this sensor is its higher level of logic. Many alternative products can sense the presence of an object – but SafeWalk detects pedes-trians and tracks them into the pre-defined detection zone. This means that you know precisely when the pedestrian enters the zone, when he or she leaves, and their exact movements. All this information makes the detection system much more intelligent.

This sensor is definitely eager to show what it can do. It’s catching on quickly – with installations already in the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and the U.S.A. So, when you’re walking around in your city, be alert: SafeWalk might have you in sight!

SafeWalk

Intelligent Pedestrian DetectionAPPLICATIONS

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Road UsersVulnerable

DYNAMIC TRAFFIC LIGHT CONTROL

• Prolongs green light when slower pedestrian is crossing. When faster pedestrians use crossings, no unnec-essary delays to motorists.

• At intersections

MID-BLOCK PROTECTION

• Oncoming traffic is warned by flashing beacons when a pedestrian is cross-ing or is waiting to cross.

• Near critical meeting places: schools, shopping centers, hospitals …

Sensing people, protecting lives

PEDE

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THE INSIDER › JULY 2010

The Department of Public Works & Transportation (DPW&T) of Prince Georges County (Maryland, USA) is using TrafiCam C-Walk detectors to in-crease pedestrian safety at a busy mid-block crossing. The C-Walks were installed by Control Technologies (Florida, USA). Traficon spoke with the DPW&T’s Jim Rhine to hear about the system’s effectiveness.

Tell us a bit about your project.The C-Walks are located at a

mid-block crossing, where a busy biking/walking trail crosses a high-speed parkway. Many residents and members of the County Council have been concerned about safety at this high-profile crossing.

What is the intelligent detector‘s purpose?

The trail users may be pushing strollers, jogging, or cycling alone or in groups. The purpose of the C-Walk is to detect every person as they approach the crosswalk from either side, without requiring them to push a button.

Why did you decide to use video detection technology, instead of (for example) radar or inductive loops?

Video detection technology is pas-sive – no action is required by the pedes-trian – and this was desired because the pedestrians were simply not pushing the push-button. And video-based technol-

ogy allows you to define the detection zones quickly and very accurately, and then easily adjust them as well. Other passive technologies fall short when it comes to detecting many types of users accurately.

In your opinion, what are this pedestri-an detector’s real strengths?

First of all, set-up and operation are a snap with the C-Walk system. Plus, through its years of experience, Traficon has developed specialised detection algorithms and fail-safe modes if the video image is compromised. Detection performance is critical, and the C-Walk can minimise false alerts from shadows, debris or pedestrians moving perpen-

dicular to the zone (walking along the sidewalk instead of crossing).

Can you offer any advice to those planning to install their first Traficon

pedestrian detector?We’re using radio-controlled,

solar-powered flashing beacons for this installation. I recommend using a separate solar array and regulator to isolate the C-Walk from the control cabinet, there-fore enabling each device to func-tion independently. We’ve also

kept our push-buttons for redundancy. An interesting note here: a push-button failed and locked in an alert, so it had to be replaced – but the C-Walk has not failed once since its initial installation! B

TrafiCam C-Walk is an integrated camera and detector for detecting pe-destrian presence at signalled intersec-tions and mid-block crossings. A cost-effective and reliable solution, TrafiCam C-Walk combines the benefits of video detection with state-of-the-art CMOS sensor technology.

TrafiCam C-Walk’s primary goal is to improve pedestrian protection as the pedestrian crosses the street (e.g. at zebra crossings near schools). By de-tecting crossing pedestrians and, at the same time, by managing and controlling traffic lights more dynamically, this intel-ligent sensor also reduces unnecessary delays to motorists.

TrafiCam C-Walk is an IP-address-able video detection camera. MPEG-4

streaming video at full frame rate is available via Ethernet for system configu-ration and traffic monitoring. Users can configure, view and control the system both on-site and remotely.

System set-up is quick-and-easy: a user-friendly PC tool enables connection to all TrafiCam C-Walk devices on the network. A camera image is available for fast, accurate positioning of the presence detection zones. It only takes a few minutes to put the system into operation. No specialist knowledge is required.

And last but not least: unlike tra-ditional inductive systems, this above-ground system incurs no expensive installation and maintenance costs.

TrafiCam C-Walk Protecting vulnerable road users 24/7

Passive Detection Provides Active Pedestrian Safety

CASE IN THE SPOTLIGHT: INTELLIGENT PEDESTRIAN DETECTION

"Set-up and operation are a snap with the C-Walk system"

Jim Rhine (DPW&T) and Jim Lampe (CT) working together to improve pedestrian

and bicycle safety in PG County.

Parko, a parking company in Kortrijk, has introduced a unique project for Belgium. In March 2010, a Parking Guidance & Information (PGI) system became operational to improve traffic efficiency in and near the city. This is the first time Traficon has been involved in such a PGI system project. Reason enough to share this rather atypical video detection project with you!

What is a PGI system?Parking Guidance and Information

systems are designed to help drivers find vacant parking spaces. PGI systems combine traffic monitoring, communica-tion, intelligent processing and variable message sign technologies to present drivers with dynamic informa-tion on parking within controlled areas.

By directing drivers to car parks where occupancy levels are low, PGI sys-tems reduce search time, which in turn reduces congestion on the surrounding roads – thus reducing air pollution, with the ultimate aim of enhancing quality of life in the urban area.

The Kortrijk CaseVia 36 dynamic message signs, driv-

ers in Kortrijk are informed in real-time about the free spaces at the city’s 7 dif-ferent parking lots. If one parking lot is full, these intelligent signs will guide the driver to the nearest alternative parking lot. In addition, if there is a traffic jam or a road is blocked due to an accident, these message signs will advise the road user of an alternative route.

The traffic data delivered to these in-telligent and dynamic signs are provided by six TrafiCam Collect-R sensors. These data collection sensors are positioned at strategic locations throughout the city (mainly on the heavily trafficked access roads). The TrafiCam Collect-R constant-ly gathers data on traffic flow and traffic density. These data are then transferred wirelessly via modem to the Parko control centre, from which traffic routes or parking alternatives are automatically (de)activated. This Kortrijk project is a joint achievement by Parko, Flow, Vialis and Traficon.

Jean-Paul Vandewinckele, Managing Direc-tor of Parko:

“Compared to alternative detection sys-tems, this intel-

ligent sensor offers us multiple benefits: infrastructure and maintenance costs are lower, it leads to more accurate results, and it’s a durable solution. Fur-thermore, the TrafiCam Collect-Rs are really flexible to use. We were able to install them on the existing public lighting infrastructure – and, as all six sensors are solar-powered, their power con-sumption is low. And with the evolution from parking to traffic guidance systems, the visual feedback you can get from this video sensor offers a lot of possibilities for controlling and monitoring traffic in and around the city.”

Koen Soenens, Traficon’s Manager for Belgium:

“What really makes this project unique is that this system is operating in a city environment. Normally, PGI sys-tems are used outside the city centre to keep traffic outside the city.” B

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£ JEAN-PAUL VANDEWINCKELE JIM RHINE PHILIPPE GÉLIN DRIES VERBRUGGE PETER JAMÉE w DAVID LIBEERT

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APPLICATION SPOTLIGHT

Intelligent Signs Guide You

to Your Parking Space in the

City of Kortrijk

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Traficon (HQ) Tel.: +32 (0)56 37 22 00 Fax: +32 (0)56 37 21 96 E-mail: traficon@traficon.com

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"It leads to more accurate results and it’s a durable solution"

Koen Soenens (Traficon) and Jean-Paul Vandewinckele (Parko)