The Florida Turnpike Enhances Roadway Safety using Machine Vision Technology

In March 2019, The Florida Turnpike selected 360ns to begin testing and evaluation of a project pilot to enable five existing CCTV PTZ cameras for Automated Incident Detection (AID) using TrafficVision machine vision technology. For this project, the Turnpike desired to evaluate use of the video from their existing PTZ cameras. The pilot results showed successful utilization and incorporated automated alerts for both vehicle and pedestrians in unsafe conditions. Based on their competitive evaluation, the Florida Turnpike awarded 360ns and partner TrafficVision 50 locations to incorporate Automated Incident Detection across their camera network.

Due to the successful implementation and use of the AID system, in July 2021, the Turnpike has expanded this coverage area to 100 locations. The intent of the AID system is to use this technology to help reduce the number of incident types warranting notification to two, actionable and nonactionable events. The actionable events are incidents in which operator intervention would be beneficial. These include stopped vehicles, pedestrian detection, and debris on the roadway. The nonactionable events are those which the Traffic Management Center should know about, but may not be able to directly assist in. These include events such as slow vehicles and highway congestion.