Enhancing Highway Safety and Efficiency through ITS Deployment in Major Road Networks

Background

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is a thriving market aimed at enhancing transportation safety, efficiency, communication, and traffic management. In 2018, a central administration authority tendered a National Traffic Management System  to improve road safety and capacity, while enhancing traffic monitoring. This project covered almost 30% of the country's major roads, totaling over 1,000 km, making it one of Europe's largest ITS project. 

A leading system integrator won the tender to implement the Regional ITS System in a significant region, covering major highways and establishing a Traffic Management Center. The project, with a budget of approximately 20 million Euros and a timeline of over two years, was recently completed. The integrator specializes in ITS and smart city solutions with over 30 years of experience.

System Requirements

The central authority prioritized the ITS project to enhance safety and efficiency on key corridors, focusing on removing bottlenecks, improving integration, and reducing accidents. The project is part of a major transport network corridor. The traffic management system is estimated to include 3500 various ITS devices. The regional ITS System in the significant region is crucial due to high traffic, proximity to the capital, and hosting the Traffic Management Center and Backup Data Center. The system integrator sought robust hardware for local modules and industrial routers for stable wireless communication in harsh roadside conditions. After extensive analysis and testing, specific industrial computers and routers were chosen.

System Description

The traffic management system is the most intricate system designed for intelligent traffic management in the country's major road network. It encompasses interconnected ITS projects forming an integrated ICT system to deliver dynamic traffic management services, national road network information, and support for infrastructure maintenance and asset management. As the Master System, the National Traffic Management System integrates regional ITS systems.

The system architecture includes: 

• Central modules: IT systems (software, data repositories) implemented in Regional and Central Traffic Management Centers and at the headquarters of the central authority.
  
  In the application scenarios of control centers, Advantech also has diverse product offerings, such as the EKI-8528 10G L3 Modular Managed Ethernet Switch for high-speed and reliable communication, the SKY-640 V2 4U Rackmount Intel® Xeon® Scalable GPU Server for visual computing and security surveillance, and the WebAccess/NMS Browser-based NMS Software, which serves as a unified platform for viewing GIS images and monitoring data in real-time.
• Distributed modules: ITS devices installed in the road.
  
  The regional ITS System comprises local implementation modules tasked with managing various ITS devices such as CCTV and ANPR cameras, LED variable message signs (VMS), traffic measurement stations, and road incident detection devices. Additionally, it features a Traffic Management Center and a backup Central Data Center.
  
  Advantech’s industrial computers ARK-1220L and ICR-2431 routers were deployed in all telecommunications cabinets along the motorways. Each ARK-1220L was implemented software responsible for managing various ITS subsystems and devices, and exchanging information between local devices and the Central System. In order to deliver a seamless operation of the ITS system, 100 industrial computers ARK-1220L and 300 ICR-2431 routers were deployed.
  

• ICR-2431: Entry-Level 4G Router for EMEA, 2x Ethernet , 1x RS232, 1x RS485, Metal, without Accessories 
• ARK-1220L: Embedded IoT Gateway, Intel Atom E3940 QC SoC with 4K Dual HDMI/Dual LAN/M.2 DIN-Rail Fanless Box PC

System Diagram

Conclusion

The system integrator was tasked with implementing the Regional ITS System. They sought a reliable hardware platform and industrial cellular routers for stable wireless communication across various roadside conditions along major highways. Advantech's devices proved resilient in adverse weather, temperature fluctuations, dust, moisture, and vibrations. Advantech is well-known in the transportation sector, providing comprehensive products and solutions that pave the way for intelligent transportation in cities around the globe. For many years, their devices have been operating reliably in a number of reference projects all around the world. That was an important consideration for the system integrator who was not only responsible for the design and implementation of the Regional ITS system but also for providing a long-time warranty.