Latest Blog Posts

Increasingly, participants in supply chains are digitizing their operations and looking to new technologies for the future of continuous optimization.

Floating car data (FCD) is anonymized data sourced from GPS-enabled devices or phone applications from billions of road users travelling every day.

GPS-enabled vehicles, cell phones, and smart devices contain time-stamped speed and location data. With billions of road users relying on GPS navigation apps every day, there is an incredibly large vault of crowdsourced floating car data which can be leveraged by transportation agencies for effective and efficient traffic management.

The next generation of risk screening models is here! SMATS’ study shows that driver behaviours are proven significant crash predictors for both road segments and intersections, particularly harsh brakes and acceleration.

Truck line ups outside your terminal gates are getting worse, and the consequences are being felt by drivers, port operations, and even community members. Now you need to provide quantifiable facts – historic and real time wait times – for your executives and stakeholders.

Origin-destination studies provide information on where drivers begin and end their trips, providing valuable data to traffic planners and agencies. Newer study methods are providing richer, more expansive data, making them ideal for future studies.

OTTAWA, August 11, 2022 – SMATS Traffic Solutions and Smart City NZ today announced a partnership that will introduce next-generation traffic data collection and analytics solutions to the New Zealand market.

Assets can be tracked through a variety of technologies, and the technology you choose depends on the business and individual asset. A guide to 7 different asset tracking technologies.

Transportation equity aims to increase reliable, sustainable transportation for all, creating economic and social benefits while moving away from a car-centric transportation design approach.

Traffic calming measures can prevent high speeds and cut-through traffic on neighborhood roadways, making streets safer for residents.

Location data provides valuable data and metrics for traffic studies, but not all location data is as accurate or complex. A comparison of location-based services apps and connected car location data for both low and high frequencies.

Level of service scores provide quick, easy to understand analysis of how roadway users perceive quality of service. Different roadways use different criteria to determine LOS score.

Counts and classification data provide valuable information to agencies, but study methods differ greatly in collection and accuracy. A comparison of 6 different counts and classification data collection methods.

ATSPMs have traditionally been collected through physical detectors, but emerging HRCC trajectory data offers a cost-effective solution with more advanced, in-depth data.

As connected vehicles grow, the debate between DSRC and 5G technology continues. Here, an explanation of both technologies and a comparison of 5 key metrics.

Smart work zones use real-time sensor technology and dynamic messaging to inform motorists of changing conditions. Utilizing these 5 smart work zone systems can decrease driver frustration and delay, and increase safety for construction workers and drivers.

High resolution connected car data can provide advanced, accurate traffic data analytics. With high coverage, low data latency, increased accuracy, ease of access, and quality data, connected cars are changing data analytics.

Automated traffic signal performance measures allow agencies to utilize their existing infrastructure while getting actionable performance measures. ATSPMs save money and resources while increasing safety and reducing travel times.

Active traffic management strategies allow agencies to improve trip reliability, safety, and throughput. Learn more about these strategies and how different agencies are using them to create smart, adaptive roadways.

Signal retiming projects are fundamental for efficient transportation systems. With numerous benefits, signal retiming can support your infrastructure and generate a high ROI.

Annual Average Travel Time is the measure that is used to report the roads’ traffic congestion. However, most of the time, it is different from what riders would experience every day or what they remember due to unexpected delays. The following are the main components of travel time reliability.

The days of limitation are over.

Since launching in 2010, Uber has grown into a transportation giant, claiming over 50% of the ride-hauling market.

We are coming into an age where not everything is tangible. More and more people are choosing a service rather than purchasing a product up front.

As technology develops, we are expected to leverage it to its every capability. We are expected to search harder, dig deeper, and do more with the information that we [do not] have.

First introduced in the financial services sector, blockchain has come a long way. Many believe that blockchain could change the world.

Don’t go empty handed, take the fastest route and turn off the light when you leave the room. These are the instructions that we grew up with to teach us to be efficient and not waste; time, money or a trip. We now take these lessons and can use them in ports, at borders, on the road, you name it.

There is nothing worse than having to travel during rush hour! Traveling during these times is chaotic and unpredictable.

We live in a world where everything is said to be smart. We have “smartphones,” “smart watches” and “smart cars.” The obvious next step in the evolution of smart is a“Smart City.” We define them as “smart” because of what is behind them, the technology behind them that connects everything. People, sensors, the internet.

Drive-assist and autonomous cars have begun to emerge as very real possibilities for the market. Due to the thriving technology sector of transportation, we are being offered options that we have never had in the past.

I remember sitting as a child and imagining what the future would look like. My vision was more along the lines of flying cars and no bedtime, but still… The technology industry is growing and developing solutions that would make that little girl jump for joy.

We hear about collisions all the time. They’re on the news, the radio, and on the streets of our cities. Fatal accidents happen frequently… and our reactions are usually quite similar.

Whether we’re rushing to work or soccer practice, we are all familiar with the sense of urgency affiliated with being late. It’s stressful, so we look for any way to ease that, even if we aren’t actually doing anything productive.

How many times have you thought “there just aren’t enough hours in the day”?

UberIt has been a busy morning. Coffee in hand, you rush to the door. Your foot catches on the edge of your new couch. The couch that sticks out just a little too far…

The world of technology is forever changing. Though few would deny this, many fail to jump on board as the trends fly past them.

Let’s talk tangibles. So many of the issues in our lives can go unrecognized or unaddressed for ages. The laundry? It can wait until tomorrow.

For so many years, we lived in our own bubble. If it didn’t affect us, it didn’t concern us. We were told to keep our “noses out of other’s business” and so on.

It has become a matter of public knowledge that pollution is unhealthy, both for the planet and for those who call it home. A sign outside the community centre warns against idling.

Should you be measuring the performance of your traffic operations? You probably guessed “yes!”, so why are few agencies and municipalities doing so?

If you have ever crossed the Canada-US border, you have been part of the over 400,000 people and $2 billion in business that moves across the two countries every day. That’s a lot of volume to handle, and with volume comes delay.

Improvements in the sensor technology and the emergence of connected vehicles and wireless communication have provided a base for the development of a new generation of vehicles with the ability to navigate on roads without human intervention.

With recent advances in communication technology, words such as Big Data, Smart Cities, and Connectivity are frequently tossed around.