Taming Traffic With IP Video
Find out how systems integrator RACOM Corp., helped the city of Dubuque (Iowa) develop a traffic management solution that resides on a fiber optic network.
The design of the Axis cameras make installation simple and efficient, says Ken Fleege, manager of RACOM’s Dubuque operations. “The ability to use PoE for fixed and p/t/z cameras makes the installation much more efficient. We are able to get from the traffic cabinet to the camera with ease,” he says. “When the installation brackets – wall or pole mount – were designed, you can tell that Axis kept the installer in mind.”
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Ness first selected fixed HDTV Q1755 network cameras, as well as the HDTV 1,080p Q6035 p/t/z model for targeted examination. Then, when Axis released its fixed Q1604 model with wide dynamic range/dynamic capture, the city saw how well WDR could combat the effects of direct sunlight, reflections off passing vehicles and glare from nearby lights.
“Those cameras have been our staple ever since we put the first one in. I’d say half of our cameras are the 1604,” Ness says. “It has great advantages. Even when the lights are shining right on the camera, you can see the sidewalk in the dark behind it.”
The city customizes many of its Q1604 cameras with 15-50mm telephoto lenses to achieve a comprehensive view of several blocks at once. They also employ a default 2.8-8mm wide angle lens to get an overhead shot of all approaches at an intersection. A typical intersection is covered with five cameras: one for each approach and a p/t/z model. Some intersections have as many as 10 cameras.
The cost of adding network cameras per intersection – about $10,000 – is relatively reasonable with a fiber-optics infrastructure, Ness explains. “You already have a switch. You have surge protection. You have everything you need at that intersection to put cameras on to,” he says. “Adding cameras to an ITS infrastructure could not be more seamless.”
Much More Than Traffic Mitigation
A typical intersection is outfitted with a cabinet to house a traffic controller that adjusts the timing of the signal with a default setting. To execute a coordinated effort, where maybe 10 signals in succession have to communicate with each other, a switch is utilized to tie the traffic controllers together.
“There are probably 20 or 30 devices in these cabinets that are IP addressable and they all communicate over the fiber optics,” Ness says.
Ness’ two-person traffic engineering department centrally controls the system at a traffic operations center (TOC) located at city hall. The signals can be remotely adjusted to manipulate traffic patterns and flows based on conditions.
“The cameras are our eyes to the roadway system,” Ness says. “We can jump on to a camera or a series of cameras along a certain corridor and look at the traffic flow and say ‘Yep, we definitely need to change some timings here.'”
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About the Author
Rodney Bosch, Senior Editor
Although Bosch’s name is quite familiar to those in the security industry, his previous experience has been in daily newspaper journalism. Prior to joining SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION in 2006, he spent 15 years with the Los Angeles Times, where he performed a wide assortment of editorial responsibilities, including feature and metro department assignments as well as content producing for latimes.com. Bosch is a graduate of California State University, Fresno with a degree in Mass Communication & Journalism. In 2007, he successfully completed the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association’s National Training School coursework to become a Certified Level I Alarm Technician.
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