If one were to create a list featuring the most beautiful or important cities in the world based on popular cultural consensus, it’s likely Astana, Kazakhstan would not be included. Kazakhstan’s capital may not be part of the current zeitgeist, but the architectural and cultural revolution taking place there is giving rise to one of the most impressive cities along the cold, barren Northern Steppe. This revolution is rapidly increasing the population of what was once little more than a wide spot along the Ishim River, creating in its place a surprisingly modern and bustling metropolis. Along with this growth has come the need not only to modernize, but also to create a transportation network that can withstand both the exploding population and the unique climate that Astana experiences. With that in mind, they have decided to utilize the Wavetronix SmartSensor to form the vehicle detection base of their ITS schemes.
Looking at Astana today, you’ll see one of the most unique skylines in the world, full of towering white, gold and azure structures that wouldn’t look out of place in a science fiction novel. Its unique position provides an important midway point between Asia, Europe, Russia and Northern Africa.
The importance of this location may have been the deciding factor when, in 1830, Russian explorer Fyodor Shubin and his party of Siberian Cossacks built a fort and called the area Akmolinsk — meaning “white grave.” From that time until World War II, the area changed little with only modest increases in population. During the War, Akmolinsk became an important traffic way between Russian factories and plants, moving food, people and equipment to the frontline as well as the home front.
In the 1950s, Akmolinsk got a new responsibility, and a new name, Tselinograd, when it became the administrative seat for the Soviet Virgin Lands Campaign, a program that intended to turn the vast tracks of virgin land in the Northern Steppe into an important grain producer for the increasingly hungry Soviet Union. During this time the population of the area grew from a few thousand to a few hundred thousand. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan became the last former Soviet republic to declare independence in 1991 and the name of Tselinograd was changed, once again, this time to Akmola.
In a 1997 announcement that surprised Akmola residents and Kazakhstan at large, president Nursultan Nazarbayev announced Akmola would replace Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, as the new capital. The name was changed to Astana, the Kazakh word for “the capital,” and since that time, many factors have converged to build Astana into its current form of brazen architecture and cultural importance.
Vast oil and mineral reserves have bolstered the Kazakhstani government’s coffers and is the leading force behind President Nazarbayev’s vision of turning Astana into a city representative of his “evolution not revolution” philosophy.
“Humanity has reached the ceiling for revolutions and world wars in the last century. Now human wisdom is in keeping peace, otherwise we will destroy ourselves,” Nazarbayev said during the 2012 Astana Economic Forum. “Successful renewal of global architecture can only be evolutionary in the 21st century.”
In many ways, President Nazarbayev’s vision for Astana has become a reality. In the years since it was named Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana’s population had skyrocketed — residents of Kazakhstan and Central Asia looking to be part of a modern city have flocked to Astana, doubling the population in less than 20 years. Today, more than 800,000 people live in Astana, and the city is on track to surpass one million residents by 2017, when Astana is slated to host the EXPO 2017 World Specialized Exhibition.
In addition to the population boom, tourism is on the rise, as Astana has constructed world-class concert halls, aquariums, sports complexes, museums, monuments and architectural wonders. More than 500,000 tourists visit Astana yearly and that number is expected to spike dramatically during EXPO 2017.
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Astana’s new found growth and importance has prompted a renewed interest in the city’s transportation infrastructure, and the need to create a functional, safe and efficient transportation system. Astana officials hope to instill the values that shaped their city into the very streets and intersections, and their end goal is to create a transportation plan so forward-thinking as to be an example to the rest of the world.
Officials in Astana have contracted with SMEU-Astana to implement a massive ITS project. Viktor Masalevichius, the chief expert on traffic at SMEU-Astana, says it’s important for Astana’s transportation infrastructure to keep up with the rest of the city’s advancements.
“The city of Astana is developing rapidly,” Masalevichius says. “New neighborhoods, sports facilities and an exhibition center are all being currently built. Because of this, the population’s need for movement is growing. The main objective of ITS in these conditions is to increase the efficiency of transport infrastructure and increase safety on the roads.”
Astana’s uniqueness also means it has some unique issues when it comes to creating a transportation system sufficient to deal with the day-to-day realities of traffic; and advanced enough to stand as an example to the rest of the world. Officials recognized that at the heart of ITS is reliable vehicle detection, and they set out to identify detection that could withstand the city’s harsh weather.
Astana’s ITS project had specific requirements for its detection technology: in addition to operating in a difficult climate, detection first had to be flexible in order to respond to changing traffic conditions in real time; second, it needed to be able to monitor traffic loads on the road network; third, it had to reduce transportation losses and increase the speed of public transportation. With these requirements in mind, officials selected Wavetronix SmartSensors as the traffic detection of choice for Astana’s growing ITS network.
Astana holds the unique honor of being the second coldest capital city in the world, behind Ulaan-Baatar, Mongolia. Astana winters regularly dip below minus 40 degrees Celsius (-40 Fahrenheit), though the summers can get very hot, often hitting 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
Frequently, Astana experiences a fluctuation of 20 degrees Celsius in a 24-hour period, and this drastic change in temperature means the city’s unique-looking architecture requires unique building practices — most building materials swell or shrink when faced with such drastic changes. For example, the 62-meter (203 feet), pyramid-shaped Palace of Peace and Reconciliation is only anchored to the ground by one point at one corner; the other three corners are on bridge castors, which allow the entire building to grow and shrink with the seasons.
Likewise, the foundations of Astana’s transportation systems require specialized equipment to handle extreme temperature fluctuations. Standard in-road vehicle detection solutions like inductive loops were inappropriate as frequent temperature shifts mean pavement has a short lifespan. Rather than deal with the extra time and cost of replacing detection every time a road needs resurfacing, Masalevichius says they chose non-intrusive technology to keep track of traffic, but still, there was an exhaustive process to determine what technology should be used.
“Before a decision on the use of equipment is made, not only are the experiences of its use in other countries and regions studied, but testing under the conditions of Astana is also carried out,” Masalevichius said. “In order to put any equipment into operation, it must first receive a positive recommendation from its trial period.”
The end result of these tests showed Wavetronix radar to be the go-to tool for vehicle detection. SmartSensor HD, a dual beam, high definition radar vehicle sensor, was utilized at the beginning of the project as part of a mobile detection station in order to record baseline data on traffic flows; this information was used in the planning phase of Astana’s ITS scheme. Because HD is simple to move and calibrate, traffic specialists had easy access to a variety of data including vehicle counts, lane occupancy, and per vehicle speeds. This information is invaluable when it comes to planning, especially in a city growing as fast as Astana.
“SmartSensor Matrix sensors are easy to install, simple to set up and are undemanding in their operation, and all of this allows us to reduce costs on the maintenance of the ITS system for the city of Astana.” –Viktor Masalevichius, The Chief Expert on Traffic at SMEU-Astana
Once ITS schemes are planned, SmartSensor Matrix is utilized for intersection vehicle detection and count zones. Using an array of sixteen radar beams, Matrix is the only radar traffic sensor that can accurately detect every vehicle at the intersection, moving or stopped, and because it’s radar, it operates in all lighting and weather conditions — even standing up to Astana’s unique weather conditions. So far, hundreds of Matrix units have been installed with more planned for the future.
Also important to Astana’s ITS schemes is getting the most value out of public money. This, of course, was another reason SmartSensor Matrix was tested so thoroughly, to ensure it wouldn’t become inoperable in Kazakhstan’s unique environment.
“Radar detectors are a great alternative to other types of detectors, including inductive loops,” Masalevichius says. “SmartSensor Matrix sensors are easy to install, simple to set up and are undemanding in their operation, and all of this allows us to reduce costs on the maintenance of the ITS system for the city of Astana.”
As time moves on, Astana will continue to bolster its already impressive intelligent traffic system, which includes public transport management systems; advanced methods of communication with the public regarding public transportation and traffic conditions; and adaptive traffic control systems with the possibility of providing priority to public and special transport. Though their eye is clearly on the EXPO 2017, the end goal of officials in Astana is to provide a state-of-the-art traffic system that matches the state-of-the-art philosophy the rest of the city enjoys.
“All this will make life and stay in Astana more comfortable,” Masalevichius says. “We hope that the residents and guests of Astana in the future will appreciate the efforts that the leadership of the Republic have put into creating a new image of the capital of Kazakhstan.”
