Information Technologies and Transportation

Smart Infrastructure

Highways, streets, and arterials around the world are increasingly equipped with sensor technologies [Page 791]to measure traffic throughput. Common sensor technologies include the following:

• Electronic tag readers placed at specific intervals determine travel time between specific points using the agglomerated data from all vehicles.
• Inductive loop detectors are in-asphalt vehicle detectors that count vehicles, often with classification type, as they pass over the loops, thus interrupting its electric flow. When two or more loops are spaced apart on the same road, they measure traffic speeds and throughput.
• In-road sensors in Germany are used to toll vehicles by calculating the vehicle weight, pollution class, and number of axles, while connecting to in-car sensors for billing.
• Traffic throughput data is used both to report speed and congestion conditions and, more recently, to predict traffic jams. An algorithm developed by IBM predicts traffic jams up to 45 minutes beforehand using this sensor data; in Singapore, this information prompts the adjustment of traffic lights to encourage traffic flow. As this prediction tool is further developed, it will likely be deployed elsewhere.

Next Generation Air Traffic Control (NextGen) is a U.S. initiative to replace air traffic controls from ground-base technologies to satellite monitoring. It will give airplanes more accurate depictions of their locations, reducing spacing requirements to make room for increased air traffic. In addition, air traffic controllers will be able to communicate through both voice and data transmissions, instead of the current voice-only system, allowing them to handle more aircraft and increase airport capacity. NextGen is presently being built and expected to be completed by 2025.

Computer-enhanced parking systems are being developed in several cities to improve the efficiency of the parking process. Sensors are placed in the asphalt in each parking space to alert spot-seeking drivers with smart phones of their availability. The sensors can also notify both car owners and traffic police of expiring time allotments. Some cities use the sensors to adjust parking rates by time of day and incentivize side-street parking, and the systems allow drivers to pay by mobile phone.

Smart parking technology is still in development and faces several challenges:

• The sensors are not 100 percent accurate, leading to some errors.
• There is a delay in getting information from the sensors, through the processing servers, and out to drivers.
• Enticing drivers to look at their phones while driving presents a hazard to themselves, other drivers, and pedestrians.

Smart parking is being piloted in several major U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York, and will likely be deployed more widely soon.

Bridges are vulnerable to cracks and erosion, among other defects, and must be monitored continuously to ensure their safety. Networks of sensors are placed on bridges to detect significant movements, corrosion, and cracks and to report that data to inspectors. The information is used in modeling software to determine the extent of the issue and whether repairs are necessary. This technology can help avoid a major catastrophe, such as a collapsed bridge.

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