As a participant in a groundbreaking showcase of transportation technology, the smart intersection technology company Miovision created the World’s Smartest Intersection in Detroit. The deployment of the smart city technology was part of the Intelligent Transportation of Society of America’s Annual Meeting held in the city from June 5th to 7th.
Located in a corridor of five busy intersections in Detroit, the World’s Smartest Intersection showcased current smart intersection technology that included connected traffic signals, remote monitoring, video-based detection, and a system of monitoring sensors. This is a major enhancement to Detroit’s aging transportation infrastructure that has been faced with failing systems and a lack of resources.
The core technology is a combination of hardware and software based on open architecture and artificial intelligence that enables real time response to transportation events and activities. The system offers capabilities such as extending the green signal of traffic lights to assist those having difficulty moving through an intersection or warning drivers of jaywalkers. These and other uses of the smart technology are expected to improve traffic flow that is seen as critical to the ongoing re-development of Detroit, while also improving safely.
Mark de la Vergne, Detroit’s chief of mobility innovation, talked about the rationale behind the intersection in a press statement, saying, “We started with the goal of improving how we monitor our traffic signals, and now we’re working with Miovision to explore how to improve safety for pedestrians and help first responders get to emergencies more quickly… Understanding where signal timing could be improved has reduced travel times by more than 30% where the technology has been deployed.”
Some of Miovision’s smart traffic technologies used in the World’s Smartest Intersection are already deployed in more than 40% of Detroit intersections. Multiple city departments are benefitting from the intersections, with Detroit Public Safety using emergency vehicle tracking to improve response times by nearly 20%. This is possible thanks to the open architecture the intersections are built upon.
Miovision has been gaining recognition for its innovative transportation technology, being named an IDC Innovator for Canadian Public Safety Solutions, and now in Detroit receiving an IDC Smart City North America Award for their smart intersections.
