New York-based transportation software developer Live Traffic Data (LTD) is releasing a new feature for its cloud-based SIGPAT (SIGnal Performance Analysis Toolbox) platform at this year’s ITS America Annual Meeting and Expo, which is taking place this week in Detroit, Michigan, from June 4-7.
With technology initially developed at the University of Minnesota, LTD was formed in 2013 to help solve infrastructure deficiencies and to foster the rise of smart mobility. The company’s proprietary SIGPAT traffic optimization software promotes vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication and provides predictive and real-time data that includes: traffic volume, arrivals on green, delays, queue lengths, travel times, vehicle trajectories, and space-time diagrams. This data is collected and analyzed on LTD’s cloud-based platform and is used by traffic engineers to optimize vehicular transportation, leading to: decreased congestion, optimized traffic flows, and reduced carbon emissions.
The SIGPAT upgrade being unveiled at this year’s ITS America event is LTD’s first step toward using ARID (Anonymous Re-Identification) data, with the company now offering Travel-time and Origin-Destination estimation using wi-fi/Bluetooth sensor re-identification in intersections not equipped with vehicle detectors. This new feature allows engineers to quantify travel times at signalized corridors with both SPaT (signal phase and timing) and detector data. The system is compatible with most types of traffic signal controllers and it is non-intrusive, as it does not interfere with any agency’s established operations.
LTD says SIGPAT comes as a cost-effective solution for traffic agencies suffering from budget constraints and limited staffing, which are major factors preventing engineers from proactively managing and upgrading their traffic signal infrastructure. The company notes that in the era of the Internet of Things (IoT) and connected mobility, there is a major need to help cities upgrade their infrastructure to keep up with the rapid evolution of vehicle technologies. SIGPAT promotes V2I communication by making real-time and predictive data available via the cloud, enabling cities to become ‘smart’. The traffic signal status, traffic flow and derived performance measures are also of value to the connected and automated vehicle worlds, including auto manufacturers, navigation, mapping companies, delivery fleets, and data analysis/data science industries.
LTD provides infrastructure optimization at little cost to cities and without interference with existing traffic programs. Over the past five years, LTD has been partnering with traffic agencies across the USA to provide Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures through its software system. The company currently has over 5,000 signalized intersections across the country integrated into the SIGPAT platform, and around 30,000 more are set to go live in 2019. LTD’s technology is being deployed by over 21 agencies, with many more underway. Cities that have already adopted the SIGPAT platform include Pasadena, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Palo Alto.
“We have used the LTD system since 2014. It has become a major complement to our existing adaptive signal control system,” noted Abdul B Mohamed, city traffic engineer for Danbury, Connecticut. “We utilize SIGPAT in obtaining real-time level of service information, as well as daily and weekly traffic flow profiles. That information, plus the traffic volume data that the system provides, have been very important tools in our efforts to enhance traffic operation services.”
