Nodeon, Monotch’s Finnish deployment partner, reached the first milestone in their TLEX® project for the Finnish city of Tampere.
“Nodeon is experienced in C-ITS projects; however, the Tampere project is our first TLEX® implementation in Finland. Therefore, I’m proud to report that our first milestone, connecting the different types of traffic light controllers to TLEX®, went smoothly,” Aapo Pöyhönen, Sales Director of Nodeon, shares.
Connecting Tampere, one intersection at a time
The final goal is to have 25 intersections in Tampere connected to the neutral C-ITS platform. By the end of 2022, the parties expect to have about ten intersections connected to the TLEX® platform.
The existing traffic light controllers (TLCs) used in Tampere are three different types by two different vendors. To make the connection of all objects run smoothly, it is essential to test and verify the connections for each type.
“Both types of controllers were recently connected to the smart mobility platform. We tested to see if both controllers work the same way and transmit the same type of data at the same rate and latency. It helps us to compare the different products and gain insight into the available data, “ Olli Rossi, Head of Unit at Fintraffic, says.
Data quality is imperative
Tampere City and Fintraffic want to ensure that the C-ITS data format and quality are in line with each other, independent of the TLC vendor. This data will give the city and road authority a good insight into the quality of the information. Therefore, the messages must be in the correct format, the latency should be extra low, and the connection must be stable.
“As with every new project, the first connections are the most important ones. Once it is tested, connecting the others goes much faster. I’m happy to conclude that things went smoothly from all sides; Nodeon, Monotch, Tampere City, Fintraffic and the TLC vendors cooperate openly and constructively,” Niko Kynsijärvi, project manager at Nodeon, confirms.
Moving forward with C-ITS
With the available data that Tampere and Fintraffic will get from all the connected TLCs, they can start thinking about distributing the information and building new types of use cases and services. Something that many Dutch cities are doing already.
The Dutch were the first in the world to implement their smart mobility system, UDAP, nationwide. Currently, UDAP connects over 1,300 smart traffic lights, around 25% of the total Dutch TLCs. Also, an estimated 25% of Dutch drivers already interact via UDAP with these smart traffic lights using their smartphone apps or in-car devices. With this large-scale implementation, several use cases, for example, Verkeerssignaalprioriteit en Emergency Vehicle Warnings, are created.
“We look forward to seeing what the future holds for Finland. With this first deployment, Nodeon demonstrated that they are the right partner for Monotch as well as for Finnish cities and the national road authority. Our partners make it possible to grow TLEX® into the backbone of smart mobility worldwide,” Gary Lin, International Business Development Manager for Monotch, concludes.
