A route is the path a driver follows to get from point A to point B. Choose a route that includes important destinations in the area like interchanges and airports.
Once you have a route, you can use significant points along the road–such as DMS signs and popular on- and off-ramps–to help you divide the route into segments. A segment refers to any part of the route for which you have traffic data, like the speed, volume and occupancy data gathered by SmartSensor HD. The system will use the data from each segment to calculate travel times for all possible start and end points along your route.
Once you have figured out your routes and segments, it’s time to figure out how many sensors you need along your route. This number will depend on your specific road and budget, but a good rule of thumb is one sensor every half-mile to mile. For more urban areas you will want sensors more frequently–say, every quarter mile–and for rural areas you can space them out by as much as several miles. Just keep in mind that the bigger the gaps you have, the less accurate the trip time system will be.
When it comes time for the actual installation, try to take advantage of existing poles and other infrastructure whenever possible. If you need new poles, have them installed far enough away from the road that the sensor can have the requisite six-foot offset. At each mounting location, attach the sensor to the pole, then align it with the roadway so that is detecting all necessary lanes.
Configuring the SmartSensor HD to the roadway is quick and easy: simply connect to the SmartSensor HD software and run the auto-configuration tool. Your sensor will then be collecting data.
The data from SmartSensor HD can then be collected by Collector–a web-based software system in the Wavetronix Command line. Collector can automatically gather the data then send it to Command’s Translator, where the magic happens.
The Command Translator web interface allows you to manage all of your route information, including the location of each sensor and travel point, and the data provided by SmartSensor HD. It uses all of this to create an XML file with accurate, forward-looking travel times, and this XML file can then be imported into a DMS control system or a public website, keeping drivers informed and happy.
