As part of an initiative to digitize municipal transport systems (called DikoVers), Ruesselsheim will deploy Velodyne’s Intelligent Infrastructure Solution using 16 lidar-based monitoring stations located on heavily traveled access roads used for entering and exiting the city.

The municipal transport system, equipped with Velodyne sensors, was developed and coordinated with the Hessian state government Freedom of Information officer. The officer is responsible for monitoring compliance with European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which safeguards data privacy. The application’s lidar sensors capture non-personalized features of vehicles and their occupants on roadways to detect and electronically monitor trucks subject to the city-wide driving ban aimed at reducing traffic.

“This data protection-compliant system of traffic monitoring is thus playing a pioneering role in Germany,” stated Ruesselsheim am Main city authorities.

To classify vehicles and identify ones subject to Ruesselsheim’s truck ban, the Intelligent Infrastructure Solution uses Velodyne’s Ultra Puck lidar sensors that do not identify driver facial features and license plate numbers, protecting the privacy of individuals and vehicles. The application’s digital monitoring decreases traffic enforcement burdens on police resources.

Centrally located in the Rhine-Main area, which is the second-largest metropolitan region in Germany, Ruesselsheim is an ideal transportation hub with many highway connections. However, these roads resulted in hundreds of trucks passing through the city each day, creating heavy traffic and degrading urban air quality. To address this problem, Ruesselsheim banned transit of trucks that weigh more than 7.5 tons on city streets unless they have a starting point or destination within the municipality.

“Ruesselsheim is taking an innovative approach to protect city residents from the congestion, noise and exhaust fumes caused by long-distance truck traffic,” said Laura Wrisley, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales, Velodyne Lidar. “Velodyne believes smart city applications, like our Intelligent Infrastructure Solution, have the potential to deliver game-changing improvements in municipal transport systems and urban sustainability initiatives.”

Velodyne’s Intelligent Infrastructure Solution

Velodyne’s Intelligent Infrastructure Solution combines Velodyne’s award-winning lidar sensors and Bluecity’s powerful artificial intelligence (AI) software. The solution creates a real-time 3D map of roads and intersections, detecting and providing precise information on road users including vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. It reliably collects data in any lighting or weather condition, supporting year-round operation, while also protecting people’s privacy. For this project, COM-IoT Technologies will provide a special image comparison module to the Intelligent Infrastructure Solution.

Ruesselsheim also has plans to use the solution’s traffic monitoring and analytics capabilities in the future. These capabilities can predict, diagnose and address road safety challenges, helping municipalities and other customers make informed decisions to take corrective action.