TrafficLand, the largest authorized aggregator of live traffic video in the US, announced today the availability of a new road visibility data set that can automatically alert drivers with highly accurate, real-time notifications about significant visibility changes at exact locations along their travel routes.
Available in the top 110 US markets, the data is derived by applying Harris Corporation’s Helios Road Weather analytics software to live video from Department of Transportation roadway cameras on the TrafficLand network. TrafficLand currently has agreements in-place with over 50 DOTs, which support the equipment installation and network integration required for real-time roadway video observations and more reliable data distribution to mass audiences.
The new road visibility data is more accurate than alternatives in the market because it is hyper-local, more immediate and automatically generated from live video at the location–versus forecasts construed over a longer period of time from an aggregation of sources (including satellites, sensors, ground weather stations, human input and other data sources), that are less relevant to specific locations.
The data is available through a web-based mapping application or via an application-programming interface (API) that allows customers to easily locate and access current weather conditions directly from the analytics or live images from TrafficLand network cameras, which can provide real-time validation of local ground conditions. The two companies plan to add additional road weather analytics layers that address other key weather challenges in the near future.
“TrafficLand data, which is updated every second on average, can be 300-times more current than a provider that scrapes video from DOT websites. That’s because we install equipment at DOT Network Operation Centers and generate analytics on real-time source video,” said Lawrence Nelson, CEO of TrafficLand. “Weather conditions can change quickly, and vary dramatically by location. Receiving notifications as visibility changes at exact locations instead of across regions, in real-time can make an important difference, it can save lives. We are very pleased to partner with Harris Corporation to bring this important new safety feature to the driving public.”
“Our image analytics combined with TrafficLand’s 20,000 cameras provide persistent, real-time hyper-local weather conditions to help drivers make safe decisions on the road,” said Eric Webster, Harris vice president of environmental solutions. “Poor road conditions contribute to more than one million crashes annually and Helios can help improve driver safety with notifications about visibility conditions and changes caused by fog, heavy rain or snow and smoke.”
