10.4.2024

Traffic will soon communicate in Finland

News Nodeon Asgard R&D Smart City Smart Mobility

Asgard-sovellus auton kojelaudalla kertoo ajan, milloin liikennevalot vaihtuvat vihreäksi.

In the next generation of smart mobility solutions, roadside devices and vehicles communicate with each other. The “Talking Traffic” concept is already well-known in countries like the Netherlands, where roadside devices send over a billion messages per day to vehicles.

VTT (Technical Research Centre of Finland) has studied the impact of speed recommendation displays on driving behavior when approaching traffic lights in Tampere (Yle, October 6, 2022). These displays show drivers the optimal speed to maintain in order to pass through the lights without unnecessary stops. The research revealed that thanks to these displays, average bus speeds increased, and overall fuel consumption decreased.

In the study, VTT researchers question why Finland has yet to adopt solutions that enable information to be transmitted directly to vehicles. Meanwhile, warning and guidance applications integrated into vehicles are gaining popularity in Central Europe. In Finland, initial steps toward testing such solutions are being taken through various development pilots.

Applications guide and warn the driver

In the smart mobility sector, there is talk of so-called C-ITS GLOSA applications. GLOSA stands for Green Light Optimized Speed Advisory, which refers to optimal speed recommendations when approaching a traffic light intersection. C-ITS (Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems), on the other hand, refers to technology where intelligent roadside devices and/or vehicles communicate with each other.

“With real-time and accurate traffic situational awareness, it is possible to create smoother, safer, and more environmentally friendly mobility solutions.”

Through the GLOSA application, smart traffic lights communicate with vehicles, providing the optimal speed for approaching intersections. They also inform drivers of the time in seconds until the lights turn green (‘time-to-green’). Other useful C-ITS applications include warnings about approaching emergency vehicles or upcoming roadwork on highways, delivered directly to vehicles.

Before support for receiving these messages becomes common in vehicle systems, the applications will be available via apps installed on mobile devices.

Tampere and Fintraffic lead the way in testing new traffic solutions

In Finland, the City of Tampere and Fintraffic were the first to test next-generation solutions in a real traffic environment. Nodeon served as the technology provider for the project in collaboration with its Dutch partner, Monotch.

“The aim is to produce widely standardized traffic light data directly to vehicles by 2027.”

In the first phase of the project, the goal was to transmit data from traffic light intersections to back-end systems and test whether standardized data can be generated from traffic lights provided by different suppliers. According to Fintraffic (as of February 2, 2024), the aim is to produce widely standardized traffic light data directly to vehicles by 2027.

The project piloted Monotch’s TLEX message exchange system, which already facilitates the transmission of over a billion messages from traffic lights to vehicles in the Netherlands. The final transmission of messages also utilized Nodeon’s Asgard solution, which enables versatile use of traffic-generated data, such as data analysis and transmission to various applications. The functionality of back-end systems is critical, as the proliferation of such applications could increase message volumes to billions per day.

Nodeon Asgard transmits messages to the vehicle driver

Nodeon is developing its Asgard product family toward next-generation mobility solutions during Finland’s pilot projects.

“We want to fully leverage Finland’s first tests while simultaneously developing the entire service chain, right up to the driver,” says Nodeon’s C-ITS expert, Niko Kynsijärvi. “At the same time, we aim to contribute to accelerating the adoption of next-generation solutions in Finland,” Kynsijärvi adds.

The pilot projects provide Finland with valuable insights collected from real traffic environments for future smart mobility applications. With real-time and accurate traffic situational awareness, it is possible to create smoother, safer, and more environmentally friendly mobility solutions.

Nodeon delivers pioneering C-ITS solutions

C-ITS solutions offer endless opportunities for developing traffic in urban and highway environments, as well as providing new services for traffic users. Nodeon offers the expertise and solutions you need to implement your C-ITS project.

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