Openvia Pioneers AI Technology in the US for Efficient Traffic Management and Enhanced Road Safety
Richmond, VA, USA, London, UK, June 13 2023 - Openvia, the technology and innovation platform of the Globalvia Group, world leading infrastructure management a mobility services company, has announced the successful deployment of Lanternn by Valerann™ (LbV) on the Pocahontas Parkway in Virginia, USA. This state-of-the-art AI traffic monitoring system will help increase traffic safety and efficiency on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge, which is prone to high winds and fog, and manage the motorway congestion by monitoring the arterials leading to Pocahontas Parkway.
"Pocahontas Parkway is an important road in the Virginia area, and we are proud to deploy innovative technologies such as Lanternn by Valerann™ to enhance its safety and efficiency," said Fernando Vallejo, Openvia CEO. "Our commitment to innovation in the transportation sector is unwavering, and this deployment is a testament to our dedication to improving the driving experience for motorists."
Pocahontas Parkway is a 10-mile toll road located southeast of Virginia's state capital, Richmond, and is a crucial route that connects two major arteries - Interstate 95 and State Route150 - as well as the Richmond International Airport, the busiest air hub in the State. It is the only immediate crossing of the James River, making it a vital solution for saving travel time and distance.
The Lanternn by Valerann™ (LbV) platform ingests and processes data from multiple sources, including Waze, Google Maps, concessionaire units, cameras, and vehicle GPS, among others. The platform's advanced analytics and AI capabilities enable accurate detection and identification of road incidents, allowing the Concessionaire to assign resources more accurately and efficiently.
The deployment of LbV with Pocahontas Parkway roadside infrastructure includes the installation of 25mobile and 20 fixed cameras and the integration with existing ITS in the Concession. This platform will enhance the Concessionaire's situational awareness, providing real-time traffic information beyond the cameras' vision coverage. It will lead to improved safety, traffic flow, and reduced response times in the event of an incident.
"Valerann is thrilled to collaborate with Openvia to deploy our advanced traffic monitoring system on the Pocahontas Parkway," said Michael Vardi, CBO and co-founder of Valerann."Our cutting-edge technology will enable the Concessionaire to efficiently manage traffic congestion, improve safety on this vital road network and inform users of relevant information during the trip. We are excited to see the positive impact it will have on the community."
The deployment of Lanternn by Valerann™ on the Pocahontas Parkway is part of Openvia’s NeoRoads program for Connected Cars and it reinforces Openvia's position as an innovator in the transportation sector. By leveraging innovative technology solutions like LbV, Openvia is committed to improving the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of road infrastructure for motorists across the country as well as offering a new experience to drivers.
About Valerann Ltd and Lanternn by Valerann™
A global leader in intelligent road traffic management solutions (ITS), Valerann is redefining the concept of modern mobility through improving roadway operations efficiency and increasing roadway safety. Our industry leading cloud platform Lanternn by Valerann™ provides road traffic authorities with insights for real-time road traffic situation and accidents risk prediction improving their situational awareness and empowering them to take accurate, actionable and timely decision.
By using information from multiple disparate sources and leveraging sophisticated proprietary AI and computer vision algorithms, we extract value from Big Data delivering a clear and holistic overview of the entire road situation in real time.
Established in 2016, Valerann has offices in the UK, the US Israel and Spain serving customers world-wide.
For more information, visit: www.valerann.com, or contact press@valerann.com.
About Openvia
Openvia, Globalvia Group's innovation and technology platform, is committed to disruptive solutions to transform the world of mobility with the aim of anticipating the future to improve people's quality of life. With multidisciplinary teams in the United States, Spain and Portugal, Openvia develops digital products and services that add value to four business lines: Intelligent Roads, Intelligent Operations, Mobility Services and Advanced Air Mobility.
Globalvia is a world leader in the management of transport infrastructure concessions present in 11 countries, created in 2007 and managed by three international pension funds. Its more than28,000 employees manage 21 highways, 7 railways, high-speed rail and the Go-Ahead Group - the largest bus and rail operator in the United Kingdom.
For more information, visit: https://www.openvia.io, https://www.globalvia.com, or visit the official LinkedIn channels: Globalvia and Openvia.
SWARCO Launches Own GoGreen Initiative at ITS European Congress in Lisbon
The Austrian traffic technology specialist offers support to European Green Deal cities in reaching their ambitious climate goals.
What do cities like Rotterdam, Dublin, Malmö, Dortmund, Lisbon, Paris, Milan, and Krakow have in common? Like one hundred other European cities, they all are committed to the European Green Deal in becoming climate neutral by 2050 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% compared to 1990 by the year 2030. The Austrian-based, international traffic technology corporation SWARCO used the ITS European Congress 2023 in Lisbon to kick off its initiative aiming at such cities under the motto “Let’s make Europe green. Deal?” The official ribbon-cutting of this SWARCO GoGreen Initiative took place in the presence of Herald Ruijters from DG Move/European Commission, high-level ERTICO representatives, and SWARCO CEO Michael Schuch.
“Over the next eleven months, from today to Intertraffic Amsterdam in April 2024, we follow a collaborative SWARCO approach to deliver an innovative experience for all Green Deal cities in Europe”, said SWARCO CEO Michael Schuch. “As a major player in ITS, we would like to formally engage with them, obtain a better understanding of their actual challenges and provide support with know-how and technology in overcoming such challenges.”
Photo: SWARCO AG/Neumann
The Transportation and Mobility sector accounts for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions. That is why urban mobility management solutions play a significant role in the decarbonisation of transportation. “We created a special Virtual Reality experience where city stakeholders can delve into a very realistic urban environment to understand how SWARCO’s offerings help tackle challenges such as air pollution, traffic congestion, micro mobility inclusion, pedestrian safety, parking space management, data-driven traffic management and modal shift”, explained Steve Penn, Head of Innovation with SWARCO’s ITS Division. “The VR takes into account different levels of political and technical responsibility and presents city pain points and our solutions with a little gamification in an easy-to-understand and vivid way”, Steve Penn added.
The SWARCO GoGreen Initiative will be accompanied over the next months by regular progress reports, also on Social Media.
The VR demo can be experienced during local appointments in the different European regions. Interested stakeholders can register for an appointment under www.swarco.com/gogreen.
15th ITS European Congress in Lisbon: The Game Changer
With the opening of the 15th ITS European Congress on Monday 22 May, Lisbon witnessed three full days of innovative technology, business and policy solutions that make ITS the game changer for mobility and transport. The International Road Federation (IRF) was pleased to join its partner, ERTICO and the intelligent and smart mobility community at this successful and valuable event.
Under the theme, “ITS: The Game Changer”, the Lisbon Congress brought together more than 2500 members of the ITS Community from 59 countries around Europe and beyond to bring into focus what is being done to deliver smart mobility today, while also discussing innovative solutions for the challenges that remain. The high-level and technical programme of the Congress included over 110 session and workshops and a Smart Mobility Summit of Cities and Regions.
IRF Deputy Director General, Gonzalo Alcaraz joined a panel of experts at the session “Automated Road Transport – a Multistakeholder Value Case Approach” to explore the future benefits of automation for each stakeholder. Mr Alcaraz specifically addressed the pros and cons from the perspective of road infrastructure stakeholders.
Cooperative, connected and automated technology is expected to be the game changer in passenger and goods mobility, but how do we get there? The session “Empowering Communities Through Automated Mobility Education & Capacity Building” brought together IRF and several European organisations to discuss the importance of stakeholder cooperation and capacity building in advancing autonomous mobility. Moreover, the session reported on expectations from authorities to meet policy goals in cities and at a national level, strategies developed by transport authorities to facilitate integration of autonomous vehicles, associated shared mobility services in existing transport systems, and lessons learnt from trials and commercial operations.
The Congress offered a unique setting for IRF to deliver along with other partners of the SHOW Project, a certified training on “Interconnecting the Autonomous Mobility Ecosystem”. The training session aimed to provide an overarching introduction of the Autonomous Mobility ecosystem, the different actors involved, and how they interact and interconnect with each other. Furthermore, the session presented different infrastructure-oriented technologies and how they are applied in the field, including real-life use cases deployed in cities around Europe.
The Congress proceedings (papers and presentations) will be available by the end of June. The post-Congress Report will be available in July. For more information, visit www.itseuropeancongress.com.
Highlights from a Successful ITF Summit in Leipzig
The International Road Federation (IRF) was pleased to join the transport community at the International Transport Forum (ITF) held in Leipzig on 24-26 May. The summit, centred around the theme "Transport Enabling Sustainable Economies," brought together experts, policymakers, and industry leaders to discuss and promote sustainable and inclusive transport solutions.
Under the theme "Unlocking Economic Growth in Low-income Countries Through Sustainable and Inclusive Transport", the IRF together with the High-Volume Transport Research (HVT) Programme and the Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All) initiative, hosted a side event to discuss how sustainable, green and inclusive transport can support and not hinder economic growth in LICs, considering trends such as transit-oriented development, inclusive urban planning, and innovative decision support tools. Moderated by IRF Director General, Susanna Zammataro, the side event welcomed experts from the transport sector including Crystal Asige (Kenyan Parliament), Amanda Ngabirano (National Physical Planning Board, Uganda), Sonal Shah (The Urban Catalysts) and Heather Thompson (ITDP).
“Public transport, walking, and cycling are the most affordable. We need policies that encourage these modes. If more people can access transportation, that gives opportunities to and to cities to grow” expressed Heather Thompson from the ITDP during the side event.
On 24 May, the Press Event “Flip the Hierarchy! Making Roads Safe for All” marked the launch of the new SuM4All Report “Enhancing Policy & Action for Safe Mobility”. The report is the result of the work of the SuM4All Working Group on Safe Mobility, led by IRF together with Michelin. The report provides actionable guidance for public authorities (national & local) and practitioners to achieve sustainable mobility by enhancing road safety. The Press Event welcomed high-level speakers including Jorge Delgado (Portugal’s Secretary of State for Urban Mobility), Nicolas Beaumont (Michelin’s Senior VP Sustainable Development & Impact), Binyam Reja (The World Bank’s Global Practice Manager for Transport) and Susanna Zammataro (IRF’s Director General). The press release and report can be accessed here.
“This work exemplifies the invaluable convening power of SuM4All and the impact that it can generate. Road safety needs, more than ever, coordinated approaches and hands-on guidance that can help drastically reduce deaths and injuries on our roads. In line with IRF’s mission and work aiming at enhancing partnerships to deliver better mobility systems for all, we have been delighted to coordinate this work. By flipping the hierarchy and putting people first, we are able to deliver not only safe but also more sustainable journeys to all” commented Susanna Zammataro, IRF Director General on the launch of the SuM4All Report.
The Summit offered a unique stage to launch the United Nations Road Safety Fund Annual Report. IRF DG, Susanna Zammataro joined Nneka Henry, Head, UN Road Safety Fund, Daniela Kluckert, Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, (Germany) Jean Todt, UN Special Envoy for Road Safety & Olga Algayerova, Executive Secretary (UNECE) Nicolas Beaumont, Senior Vice President, Sustainable Development and Impact (Michelin Group), Diego Giuliano, Minister for Transport, Argentina. In presenting the achievements of the Ten Step Plan Project in Tanzania, IRF DG commented: “The success of the local Tanzanian partners in implementing the Ten Step Plan has showcased how partnerships supported by the UN Road Safety Fund can deliver rapid life-saving improvements in road safety capacity and performance. And this stands as an inspiration to other countries around the world”.
The last day of the Summit, saw a second side event organised jointly by SuM4All, the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, the International Road Federation (IRF), and Michelin. Under the theme "Enhancing Policy, Action & Accountability for Safe Mobility" representatives from IRF, The Global Alliance, the Urban Catalysts, the Interamerican Development Bank (IBD) the Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF) / The World Bank, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications of Chile, Juan Carlos Muñoz, debated on how to embed the Safe System approach to road safety in national, subnational, and urban transport planning. The new SuM4All Report and the Global Alliance’s Accountability Toolkit were presented as two key resources that can help and drive the transition.
