GDC & Traffic Signal Management Systems

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GDC & Traffic Signal Management Systems

Introduction

Municipal governments are shifting away from their analog traffic management systems and are looking for better ways to control and manage the hundreds of busy intersections in their jurisdiction.  Two factors are driving this change:

The rapid increase in automobile traffic
Increased sensitivity and requirements for security and safety

The ability to remotely alter traffic patterns for purposes of evacuation, accidents, parades, events, emergencies etc., is growing into a universal requirement, and having the ability to visually see what is happening from a control location is becoming mandatory.

How is traffic controlled today?

The existing traffic intersection landscape is currently for the most part unmanaged or at best "connected" in the sense of being able to see and do minor changes from a Traffic Management Control Center (TMCC). In the "connected" case, there is a control box at the intersection which contains the hardware to change the signals from red/green/yellow etc., and this controller has a copper analog connection back to the TMCC through the local Telco. Depending upon controller manufacturer that connection speed varies, but is in the low- speed, less than 9600 bps range.

Upgrade possibilities for the municipality

As municipalities seek to upgrade their systems, a number of new possibilities arise. 

More bandwidth to the intersection could allow room for intersection cameras to support traffic enforcement, security and citation issuance (revenue generating).

More bandwidth could accommodate wireless hotspots (Wi-Fi) at these intersections, which could be resold and generate revenue for the county.

In short, a better-managed intersection could provide copious ROI, while dramatically contributing to the health, safety and welfare of the municipality.

Where do the Telcos stand on this?

This requirement has caught the attention of Independent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECS), because they own the copper line connections to the intersection. (It’s their revenue stream) However, they have had no optimum solution that is cost effective to the municipality.

(One municipality stated that the traffic signal system comprises 25-30% of the entire county telephone bill).

The Wireless Threat!

Wireless providers see opportunity in this area and tell a compelling story to the end user municipality.  Wireless providers are real competitors to the ILECs since the ILEC could lose major revenue if wireless gets in and replaces the copper lines!

Wireless has its problems

All systems whether they are based on wireless or dedicated copper work well under normal conditions.  It’s during times of abnormal conditions that municipal systems must be relied upon to provide secure and accurate control and information. Inclement weather or an accident that damages a line-of-sight wireless repeater location can cause a broad blanket outage to a large portion of a municipal traffic and surveillance network. In the case of dedicated copper, only the specific location would have a disruption.

Wireless networks are difficult to secure and susceptible to security breaches by hackers. Dedicated copper circuits are reliable and secure.

GDC to the rescue! A Win - Win Situation

GDC can offer a unique solution. Our SCIP G.shdsl product can take advantage of the existing copper to the intersection and boost the bandwidth up to 2MB or better depending on distance. A dramatic increase in throughput and a much faster network. The hardened version of GDC’s product would reside in the controller box at the intersection and its mate, being NEBS III +Certified could reside at the ILEC/CLEC Central Office (CO). It’s a win-win situation for the incumbent Telco because their existing revenue steam from the copper line is maintained.

The Municipality Wins!

The result for the municipality is a fully managed intersection with excess bandwidth to accommodate other requirements such as cameras and security systems along with the possibility of an additional revenue stream from accommodating wireless hotspots. In many cases municipalities own their own copper infrastructure adding to the revenue possibilities.

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