Case study: City-wide traffic monitoring and management system
A while back, I received an internship assignment in which the prompt stated that I had to design a citywide traffic monitoring and management system for a future smart city.
This helped me take a deep dive into the existing traffic system situation, figure out problems, and come up with solutions. I also had the opportunity to come up with new features that can be added and will help make the system better. The amount of effort put into this assignment was very extensive as it involved research, designing the entire experience for a system that would’ve been used by the entire city, and coming up with wireframes for the apps which would be used in different devices as part of the system.
Assumptions
1. City governed centralized parking.
2. Centralized public transport
3. Every person in the city has a Mobile phone and has consistent and reliable 4. access to the internet.
5. Every person has a bank account linked with their profile.
Requirements
1. SmartTraffic lights
2. Cameras
3. Speed Sensors
4. Queue Detectors
5. ML and AI model for various calculations and predictions.
Constraints
Ticketing in public transport for minors could be a challenge as we are relying on guardians to fill in the correct information. (We can have some sort of an incentive so that users provide correct information)
Trade-Offs
1. Cost
2. Complex infrastructure
User Goals
1. Seamless travel experience
2. Traffic rule enforcement
3. Emergency Response / SOS
4. Smart Parking Solutions
5. Enhanced Public Transport experience
The central control system
The central control system acts as a base of the traffic control system. This system is integrated with traffic lights, signals, cameras, queue detectors, speed sensors, public transport information, city-wide parking details, and all necessary E-payments for rule violations/parking. The AI-based system can analyze real-time data by collecting information from the computer vision-enabled 3d AI cameras and queue detectors.
The control system has an emergency response system and a helpline which handles all the help requests and forwards them to the concerned authority.
- Smart signal lights: Smart traffic lights and signals will reduce the traffic congestion and idle time irrespective of the predefined time as and when required.
- Enhanced Travelling experience/ Reduced Journey Time: The cameras and queue system update information to the control system about the real-time traffic condition. The control system enacts this real-time information to clear the overcrowding traffic by sending it to the users, redirecting them off the congested paths, and giving them the shortest and best path possible.
- Traffic Rule Enforcement/Violations: The cameras and the speed sensors can detect speeding, swerving (possible DUI), seat belts, etc. The system sends an immediate ticket/challan and the amount will be deducted from the driver’s account.
- Emergency Response/SOS/Help: Whenever an SOS signal is received from a vehicle’s system, first responders are dispatched to the location of the signal. A helpline/call center is present which entertains the help calls made by the users of the vehicle app and those issues are forwarded to the concerned authority and taken care of.
- Smart Parking Solutions: The user will be routed to the nearest parking space having an empty spot to park. The parking ticket will be charged and money will be deducted automatically on the basis of the number of hours the car was parked calculated by the entry and exit time.
- Enhanced Public Transport Experience: The user can select their destination and what public transport they want to travel from. They’ll be navigated to the nearest station/bus stop, etc depending on their choice of transport. Upon entering the vehicle, they’ll be checked in automatically and their fare will be deducted from their accounts when they leave the vehicle on reaching their destination.
Inbuilt Vehicle System
Each vehicle will have an inbuilt screen which will come preloaded with the app. This app will show all the necessary details on the screen. The app’s dashboard consists of:
- A map that shows directions, time to reach the destination, alternate routes, traffic details and will reroute according to traffic conditions.
- A parking button which the user can tap on anytime to navigate them to the nearest parking space or when the user reaches their destination they are automatically navigated to their nearest parking without having to tap the parking button.
- A help/report button which the user can use to report any matter or get help on a certain matter. This call will be directed to the helpline number of the control system and they’ll deal with the situation accordingly.
- Alert pop-ups regarding approaching/ on/ exceeding the speed limit. Pop-Ups regarding the amount deduction of the challan/ parking ticket.
Personal Mobile App
How this system will work:
Each person has a profile in the mobile app. A bank account is linked with each profile which will be used for transactions. Whenever a person buys a car, it is linked with the owner’s profile. The owner can grant access to the car to other people as well. Once access is given to other drivers, the car will show up on their dashboard as well. The car can be unlocked using the mobile app only. Any transactions made will be deducted from the bank account linked with the profile which was used to unlock the car.
This app will have the public transport feature as well. The user will sign in with their account and on the home screen, they will be shown the cars they have added to their account and also the public transport section. If they select the car title, they’ll see the same car dashboard view on their mobiles. If they select a public transport type, they’ll be navigated to another screen where they can select their destination and see the nearest stops/taxis, etc available, and once selected, they’ll be navigated there. On entering the public transport vehicle, they will be checked in automatically and once they leave the vehicle, they’ll be charged automatically for the service and will receive a pop-up telling them that a certain amount has been deducted. Whichever vehicle they are traveling in, once entered in that vehicle they can see the map of that route along with a Help/SOS button.
