Intelligent transportation systems, also known as ITS Systems, are an integral component to roadway safety and homeland security in the early 21st century. ITS systems monitor and transmit valuable information to traffic safety engineers, are often equipped with automated alert systems, and provide the ability to remotely update messaging and ultimately traffic flow. In addition to these efficiency, data and automation advantages, ITS systems also enhance evacuation systems for security emergencies or natural disasters. While ITS systems encompass a wide range of technologies, they can be broadly defined as follows.
Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) are advanced applications which, without embodying intelligence as such, aim to provide innovative services relating to different modes of transport and traffic management and enable various users to be better informed and make safer, more coordinated, and ‘smarter’ use of transport networks. (Source: wikipedia.org)
Consider the following Intelligent Transportation System applications including law enforcement, homeland security and ITS systems for work zone safety.
ITS System Applications
Intelligent Transportation Systems applications in roadway safety include infrastructure administration, vehicular systems, traffic and mobility management, and highway construction work zone safety. ITS systems utilize nearly every conceivable technology (wireless, cellular, bluetooth, video) to accomplish a wide variety of objectives, from vehicle identification to traffic monitoring. regulatory enforcement, driver communication and traffic management.
In the United States, applications for ITS systems in the public sector include enforcement cameras and vehicle monitoring devices. A range of ITS road transport systems are being tested and implemented across the globe, including collision avoidance systems in Japan and variable speed limit signs in England. Considering the range and variation of ITS applications it is clear that technological developments are in the early stage for real world applications. However this also indicates the significance of the technology and suggests that ITS technologies are likely to be a fixture on roadways in the very near future.
ITS Systems for Work Zone Safety
Another burgeoning application for ITS technology is in road construction work zone safety. Road construction consumes a portion of every government’s budget and is an industry sector with inherent safety risks for workers and drivers. To reduce injury risk, ITS systems for work zone safety serve a variety of purposes in road construction work zones. Systems such as the iCone Instant ITS System enable organizations to actively manage the flow of traffic in and around work zones via online access, automated alerts and driver messaging updates.
ITS System Applications for Work Zone Safety
- Monitor the data and effectiveness of traffic control plans
- Speed detection, traffic counts, traffic congestion advisories
- Improve driver notifications with automated work zone messaging updates
- Report traffic patterns, speeds, and other data including real-time online access
- Improve maintenance, traffic plans, construction staging, detour management
For more about the iCone Instant ITS System, contact Site-Safe Products, LLC at (800) 388-6884.
