Unpredictable Traffic
To accurately and reliably predict closures at rail crossings.
The objective is to help manage growing vehicular traffic and to provide real-time, specific information to emergency responders transporting patients at critical moments.
Challenge
Jacksonville’s unique geographic location makes it a major logistical hub in the Southeast.
The many places where rail and road traffic cross one another create an ever-increasing need to optimize the tangled traffic flow, especially around hospitals and high-density areas.
Prior technologies have struggled to accurately and reliably determine where, when, and how long trains were going to block crossings. As a result, drivers ignored the information, compounding the problem.
Emergency first responders especially rely on accurate information in choosing alternative routes for patients when every second counts.
Solution
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is a tremendous innovator and North Florida’s District Two is a leader in adopting innovative technologies.
In this case, Smart North Florida connected FDOT with TRAINFO, a technology using acoustic data to predict rail traffic.
Results
TRAINFO was able to accurately and reliably predict rail traffic and up-track road closures 99.9% of the time.
This data now integrates into the road traffic management system to route and reroute traffic more efficiently on a real-time basis, significantly reducing driver frustration and providing life-saving data to first responders.
As the data set grows, the system’s predictive accuracy and precision steadily improve.
In the future, civil engineers will also have the trend data available for planning future road and rail projects.
