Transportation infrastructures incorporate an amazing amount of imaging technology, which can be found in the sophisticated equipment working silently along our roads and highways. Imaging technology has become an integral component of Intelligent Transportation Systems, serving as an extra set of eyes on the road, improving our safety and contributing to a problem-free and pleasant driving experience.
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) cover a wide variety of applications in which imaging technology is commonly used including: traffic signal control, electronic toll collection, automatic license plate recognition, traffic safety, enforcement and management. Each application presents its own challenging set of requirements. For example; speed enforcement and license plate recognition must contend with the varying formats in plate and character styles along with other issues such as dirt, motion and variations in lighting. For free-flow toll systems, the high speed of vehicles requires real-time cameras with high resolution and high sensitivity sensors. Most transportation systems are faced with uncontrolled lighting, and extreme weather environments. Industrial cameras have become a proven solution to many of these challenges and are an essential part of ITS Systems.
Industrial cameras offer enhanced imaging performance, and a robust, compact enclosure suitable for the demanding environments found within the transportation industry. Traffic cameras rely on specialized image sensors to deliver higher dynamic range, better sensitivity and to capture excellent quality, high-speed images with zero blur – solving the motion artefact limitation found with traditional camera sensors. All of these unique and specialized camera features have been essential to transportation systems such as tolling, and speed/red light enforcement which are found on our roads today.
Many of us as drivers are unaware of the benefits that are obtained through the integration of imaging technology into ITS systems. These systems are working hard in the background, keeping their eyes on the road to deliver invaluable information like accidents ahead or travel delays, quickly resolving any traffic disturbances as they arise, and most importantly to improve our safety.
