Smart Road: Axis for the mobility of the future.
Axis cameras, which ensure high-quality video and which are resistant to temperature variations, are an integral part of the SITE Smart Poles alongside the SS51 “Alemagna” a-road, the first smart road in Europe.
Mission
The Smart Road initiative, a complex digitalization project of the Italian A-roads and motorways, promoted by Anas, gets underway, thanks to the support of companies, leader in their sectors of activity, such as Axis Communications and SITE, and their cutting-edge and innovative technological solutions.
Solution
On the occasion of the Alpine World Ski Championship 2021 in Cortina, the SS51 “Alemagna” was converted into the first smart road in Europe as a result of the placement of around 350 Smart Poles alongside the 88 km of this A-road. These multifunctional smart poles, engineered by SITE adapting the technologies to the actual dimension of the pole, are equipped with led lights and cameras with in-camera analytics supplied by Axis. These last are highly resistant to temperature variations and to thermal shocks and can ensure high quality videos 365 days a year, 24/7.
Axis suggested two solutions: an HD camera, which allows traffic monitoring in all conditions, and an analysis system which, through one of the Group’s partners, promptly records metadata, as well as incidents and anomalies, and notifies the control center about them. The AlmavivA platform, powered by the technologies implemented by SITE, allows communication with vehicles.
Result
Thanks to the Smart Road initiative, traffic can be controlled, monitored and managed and road incidents can be proactively anticipated at any time. When a Smart Pole detects something unexpected (such as objects on the road), Axis cameras allow operators to immediately check the images, helping them to contextualize what happened and intervene promptly with suitable decisions.
For us at Anas, the Smart Road implies first of all reliability and to ensure it, also for the future expansion of the project, we relied on experienced partners, such as Axis and SITE, that, through Iot solutions and state-of-theart cameras able to provide real time information, allow us to ensure safety, comfortable journeys and an uninterrupted connection on our roads.
How Axis met SITE and Anas’ needs
“Through the Smart Road initiative, we have already built 88 km of interconnected infrastructures equipped with a Smart Pole with an Axis camera every 250 metres”, explains Andrea Sebastiani, IT systems and project manager at ANAS.
Following a project of the architect Carlo Ratti, Axis and SITE were able to realise a solution that can be perfectly integrated. The system is based on open platforms and on the interconnection between devices, the key elements on which such a relevant infrastructure for the public safety is founded. In such a system, cameras and technologies cannot be separated the one from the other, becoming server and client all at the same time.
In fact, besides being highly innovative, smart roads turn out to be essential for road incidents prevention. In addition, due to the application of Axis cameras, in the future, this infrastructure will enable car drivers to be constantly connected to an operating centre, allowing to manage mobility efficiently. Finally, the added values of this project are the synergy and the collaboration between all the parts involved for sharing their know-how through practical and completely compatible technologies.
“This project comes into light thanks to the technical effort and the ambition of all the companies that contributed to it and that succeeded in integrating all solutions and technologies, allowing the coexistence of very advanced systems with various functionalities,” explains Massimiliano Tolomei, Strategic Business Development Manager, SITE.
We are proud of collaborating with Axis for the realisation of the first great smart mobility project in Europe which will help to manage mobility efficiently. Within the Smart Road project, the ‘Smart Road Cortina 2021’ plan provides a concrete example: in fact, we have worked since July 2019 to install on the SS51 a-road a set of smart poles equipped with the best technologies of both the companies.
The Smart Road is the result of in-depth analysis, the implementation of new technologies, the video contextualization and the engineering of its different elements, within the framework of a 360° collaboration between innovative companies.
“For us at Axis, having been chosen as technological partner is a brilliant result and the crowning of many years of dedication and passionate work. Our next goal will be the consolidation of our relationship with Anas and SITE in order to replicate soon the Smart Road project in the whole of Italy. Clearly, we will contribute providing always new and in step with the times technologies,” says Andrea Monteleone, National Sales Manager Italia, Axis Communications.
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