Street Smarts: The Rise of Intelligent Transportation Systems
City life is a fast-paced mix of commerce, tourism, entertainment, congestion, crime, rapid growth, and changing demographics.
The traditional security and surveillance technology that’s used to keep people and property safe must evolve into intelligent transportation systems (ITS), doing more than simply monitoring traffic as cities move to a smart infrastructure.
The ongoing acceptance of artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced data analytics has allowed surveillance camera technology to shift from being a tactical tool to a strategic business solution. Combining traditional surveillance technology with AI-based data-driven insights can streamline transportation systems, enhance traffic management, improve situational awareness, optimize resource allocation, and streamline emergency response procedures.
Smart cities leverage connected devices and sensors to collect data and improve efficiency across areas like traffic, energy, and public safety. ITS is an increasingly essential element for enhancing transportation infrastructure. ITS technology helps smart city managers perform critical data analysis to allocate and manage public safety resources, insulate transportation systems from security threats, and create safer environments for passengers and transit employees, as well as protect every mode of transportation, mass transit systems, terminals, airports, and borders.
A Growing Market
The global smart cities market size was valued at $748.7 billion in 2023 with growth projected at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.8 percent from 2023 to 2030, according to Grandview Research.
ITS involves leveraging the camera as a sensor, where the video captured is secondary to the rich metadata extracted. That data serves as the foundation to build predictive models and solutions, ultimately enhancing urban living, and even promoting sustainability.
To continue the smart city growth trend, cities must have a mindset that’s open to change. That includes investing in stable fiber connectivity and building open, modular, and scalable cloud infrastructure to support the piloting of innovative technologies.
Expanding Use Cases and Applications
The potential applications and use cases for smart cities and ITS environments are far-reaching and diverse. They include traffic safety, congestion reduction, and the integration of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs).
They also extend to numerous other applications, with just a sampling including:
- Air quality. ITS can collect real-time data on air pollution and particulate matter to help cities take actions to reduce pollution or regulate traffic flows based on pollution levels and promote cleaner vehicles.
- Public transportation efficiency. Using real-time data to schedules routes efficiently.
- Demand-responsive transportation. In areas with low demand, smaller vehicles or flexible transportation alternatives are allocated.
- Smart parking solutions. Using sensors and apps can help drivers find parking options, reduce driving time spent searching for parking, and ultimately reduce traffic.
U.S. Federal Funding
Surveillance technology has changed dramatically during the last few years, and so has access to U.S. federal funding. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), was signed into law by U.S. President Joe Biden on 15 November 2021 and created possibilities for every aspect of infrastructure enhancement.
IIJA authorized $1.2 trillion for transportation and infrastructure spending, with $550 billion allocated for new investments and programs for the nation’s bridges, airports, waterways, highway safety improvements, congestion mitigation, toll roads, bridges, tunnels, and ferries—a basically all forms of public transit and transportation management programs, including intelligent transportation systems.
The IIJA includes several technology-related and funding provisions for smart cities and intelligent transportation systems. This includes funding for ITS development covering the use of data, sensors, and connectivity work that can improve the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of transportation networks.
Surveillance technology has changed dramatically during the last few years, and so has access to U.S. federal funding.
For example, the IIJA includes the State and Local Cybersecurity Improvement Act, a grant program addressing cybersecurity risks and threats to the information systems of state, local, or tribal governments. IIJA also included $15 billion for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, which can “support smart grid integration and allow for more efficient charging stations, especially in urban areas. This could promote the transition to electric vehicles (EVs), a key component of smart city infrastructure.”
More specifically, the IIJA established The Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program, providing grants for demonstration projects using “advanced smart community technologies and systems to improve transportation efficiency and safety across various communities.”
This program extends to the use of data or technology covering smart traffic signals, connected vehicles, advanced sensors, smart grids, systems integration, delivery, and logistics. When launched, the program’s primary goal was to encourage development and testing of new technologies that addressed current transportation challenges.
In the first round of the SMART program, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a total of $94 million in grant awards for 59 projects across 33 U.S. state. In August 2024, DOT announced it was accepting applications for the program’s the second year.
Intelligent Transportation Technology
The phrase “doing more with less” is a perfect way to describe how security and surveillance devices are doing more than just “monitor and protect.” City organizations are looking for ways to maximize their security spending by getting the most out of an initial technology investment.
Surveillance solutions are increasingly incorporating on-board analytics to provide low latency real-time alerts and deliver data that can drive intelligent business decisions. Multi-sensor camera technology is a perfect example. With one device through a single data connection, it’s possible to monitor and record several key areas with unique fields of view for each, such as outdoors in public areas or more commonly intersections, roads, sidewalks, and shared pathways. Adding the power of analytics to those same cameras makes it possible to collect rich, analytics-based surveillance data while providing safety and security alerts.
City organizations are looking for ways to maximize their security spending by getting the most out of an initial technology investment.
With built-in analytics, cameras are capable of driving truly intelligent transportation and surveillance functions. For example, one area of major ITS focus is “active mitigation,” or identifying issues before they become major problems by regularly monitoring and taking preventive actions.
City officials may want to detect and track pedestrian street-crossing patterns, or detect double parking, jaywalking, near miss and collisions, and work zone management. Maybe they need to know how many people cross the street outside city hall or near a light rail facility. Since the cameras are already pointing in the direction of that train station, they can capture that data while also gathering footage useful to the police department to detect if there have been physical altercations, robberies, or violent crimes in that area during the past few years. Multi-sensor technology makes dual-function performance easier.
Using this dual-approach model is also efficient. The metadata stream is roughly 5 percent of the size of a video stream, while being complaint with privacy regulations under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The final technology piece comes down to network connectivity and data access. To avoid latency, fiber connectivity of at least 5G is optimal. One agency may have less fiber and more point-to-point connectivity compared to another agency with strong fiber infrastructure and network uptime of 99.9 percent. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act also includes provisions to bolster the country’s broadband infrastructure and help ensure that Americans have access to high-speed internet.
A Collaborative Mindset
Implementing ITS and smart city technologies requires alignment between different city
agencies and departments, as well as overcoming challenges like legacy infrastructure, budget constraints, and cultural resistance to change.
Analytics are now at a tipping point where they can be enabled to replace existing sensors. But if a traffic agency can’t use the utility pole to hang or power a camera; then these solutions are difficult and more expensive to realize. A collaborative mindset is key across departments to maximize tax dollar spending and return on investment.
Overall, the goal of smart cities and ITS is to create a more connected, efficient, and sustainable urban environment. These technologies help cities manage resources more effectively, improve quality of life, and support economic growth.
The long-term outlook for ITS and the development of smart cities will continue to hinge on a holistic approach combining surveillance technology, easy access to funding, and a forward-thinking mindset. When properly conducted, the results can represent a pivotal stage in urban management and infrastructure, leading to a safer, more secure, and more efficient world.
Zareh Megerdoonian is the business development manager, ITS & Smart Cities, North America, at Hanwha Vision America. Megerdoonian has spent more than 15 years in market development in the United States and Canada in the oil, gas, and transportation verticals.
