The City of Dallas has selected Ericsson to install and host an Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) based on the Swedish telecommunications technology giant’s Connected Urban Transport solution.
The Texas city’s vision for the traffic system is an intuitive and easy-to-use interface that automates and facilitates system monitoring, management, maintenance, and performance monitoring across multiple departments, as well as between cities and counties. Ericsson’s Connected Urban Transport system will give the City of Dallas authorities and adjacent cities the ability to aggregate and analyze diverse, real-time data from traffic sensors and cameras to dynamically control traffic lights, school flashers and variable message signs (VMS).
The new system will allow Dallas to expand its knowledge about traffic issues and assist with operational decision-making to improve traffic flow. The features are enabled by Ericsson’s IoT (Internet of Things) Accelerator platform, which is a rich out-of-the-box suite containing advanced ICT functions such as federated identity management, data and device management, rule engine, application linking, and billing systems that will improve the connection of multiple subsystems to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
The main features of the system include:
• An ecosystem to share data and system services with other organizations in a controlled way, which will increase collaboration and empowerment of other departments, travelers and transport service providers;
• A dashboard to have one central overview, across agencies, of the status of all systems to provide quick troubleshooting;
• Key performance indicators (KPIs), to monitor and track the city’s goals and suppliers’ performance to improve performance and contract management;
• Automation, where one system can trigger or notify another system when thresholds are violated, allowing faster responses and reduced workload.
Implementation began at the end of 2017 and the system will be fully operational by 2020.
“The smart way to become a Smart City is the intentional focus on making data actionable. Ericsson’s solution offers a lot of potential through the modernization of our traffic management technology,” said William Finch, chief information officer of the City of Dallas. “It is from this technology that we will derive more robust data, that leads to greater business intelligence, which in turn enhances our application.”
Jeff Travers, head of IoT at Ericsson, commented, “The quality of a community’s transportation infrastructure is a major factor in business and industry investment decisions. The Dallas metroplex is one of the fastest growing areas in the country. Our Connect Urban Transport solution will enable the city to manage growing traffic and increase driver safety more efficiently and at lower cost.”
