The city got another boost for smart car research this week as Siemens, a transportation technology company, announced it was making Ann Arbor the site of its first “Center of Excellence for Intelligent Traffic Technology.” Siemens already has been working in the city as a contributor to some of the aforementioned projects, but the company promised to accelerate those efforts Dec. 14 in a press release.
Three technologies Siemens hopes to work on at its center are:
- TACTICS smartGuard, a cloud-based traffic management platform. The software gives cities the ability to monitor traffic conditions in real time and respond accordingly to issues such as congestion and accidents.
- SEPAC Local Controller Software, a program that allows direct communication between traffic controllers, smartphones, vehicles and a central system.
- The Split, Cycle, and Offset Optimization Technique (SCOOT) system, a traffic control program that adjusts signals to optimize traffic flow. The latest version of the program improves its operation low-flow traffic periods and updates emission estimate reporting.
That technology, along with other projects out of the center, will help the city better manage commuting traffic, as well as travelers and those coming to the city for University of Michigan sporting events — which can, in the case of a Wolverines football game, draw more than 100,000 people to the school’s stadium.
“Ann Arbor is a city of 115,000 residents, 70,000 students and thousands of visitors, and that puts considerable stress on a transportation system," said Marcus Welz, president of Siemens Intelligent Traffic Systems, in the press release. "So the need to move traffic in and out of the city efficiently is crucial not only for economic and environmental impacts, but for quality of life for Ann Arbor residents.”