One of the world’s leading manufacturers of sensor systems and thermal imaging equipment, FLIR Systems Inc., has acquired Acyclica, Inc., a leading developer of software for automotive roadway and intersection data generation and analysis.
Acyclica will become part of Flir’s Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) division, within the company’s Commercial Business Unit. The acquisition advances Flir’s ITS business with the addition of dynamic traffic data generation capabilities and a software analytics engine for use by global transportation systems operators. Acyclica’s solutions provide high-resolution, real-time traffic information to transportation department end-users to make roads safer, reduce congestion, and improve overall efficiency and performance of thoroughfares.
Founded in 2010, and based in Denver, Colorado, Acyclica delivers cloud-based analytics of data generated from proprietary technology and from other sensing sources, such as visible and thermal cameras, roadway sensors, radars and intersection signals. The company’s systems are used by transportation departments across the globe to get a clear, accurate and actionable view of their roadway infrastructure to improve traffic flow and safety. Acyclica’s APIs (application programming interfaces) allow for easy integration into third-party ITS equipment and systems, including Flir ITS’ cameras, which are currently offered with Acyclica technology on board.
Acyclica’s portfolio includes the RoadTrend traffic data collector, which can gather over 250,000 records per hour, and is often used in conjunction with the company’s BlackCompass sensor unit. Both devices use passive wi-fi data collection technology to provide continuous scanning at intersections. Acyclica’s flagship product is the Go web-based traffic analytics platform, which transforms vast amounts of data into actionable information to help agencies understand travel times, traffic patterns and congestion. The platform offers origin-destination analysis, real-time congestion mapping, travel times and speeds, and can use the LARIC (Los Angeles route intersection coordination) metric or Purdue Coordination Diagram to measure transport network efficiency.
“Acquiring Acyclica is a key step for our ITS business in that it adds a new sensing platform and a data analytics software element to our mission to provide complete and valuable traffic optimization solutions for our global transportation system customers,” said James Cannon, president and CEO of Flir. “The great efficiencies that are created with these ITS systems fits our mission of improving livelihoods and adds to our broader smart and safe city solutions. Additionally, we feel the capabilities of the Acyclica team in data analytics and software platforms is scalable across numerous other Flir businesses.”
Flir has also made a strategic investment in Cvedia, a developer of machine learning applications that are used to efficiently enable sensor systems with artificial intelligence (AI). Cvedia’s SynCity simulation platform generates photorealistic, labeled 3D worlds and sensor modeling, recreating everyday scenarios and edge cases for training, testing and validating machine learning algorithms across multiple domains.
Cannon commented, “This investment in Cvedia will enhance our ability to innovate sensing solutions that enable our customers to more quickly and accurately make their mission-critical decisions. We see wide applicability of these tools in our innovation of highly advanced solutions and look forward to collaborating with the Cvedia team.”
