FLOW – Sensors in traffic

To plan, develop, and manage society, data is needed on the roads and their traffic flows. This data, if available in real-time, could help road users choose the fastest route and provide the municipality with timely information if traffic problems occur.

Through the open innovation project FLOW, we are investigating how to collect data on traffic flows using sensor technology. The flows of interest include both vehicle flows and passenger flows (such as walking or cycling).

The insights gained from the project are primarily intended for urban planning and traffic management but can also be used in other areas of public services, including logistics or environmental planning. The long-term goals are:

• Continuous and real-time measurements
  Moving towards continuous and real-time traffic flow measurements, using everything from sensor technology to cloud-based data-sharing platforms with links to analytical tools.
• Open systems and standards
  Developing an open system for traffic flow measurement that is not dependent on a single vendor but is based on open standards.
• Identify new technologies
  Identifying new technologies with high potential to become cost-effective – so that they potentially could replace the technologies currently in use (such as manual traffic counting or deployed hoses over roads).

The project utilises Lund’s infrastructure and testbed for the Internet of Things (IoT), which is operated as part of Lund Open Sensoring City, LOSC. For more information, visit FLOW’s official website.

Get involved

Test your IoT products, sensors, and management systems for flow/movement data in an urban testbed.

Express your interest here!