IMFLOW - a symphony of C-ITS and AI elegance

For cutting-edge urban traffic control

To understand how ImFlow goes beyond the ordinary and creates a paradigm shift by closing the gap unitl Artificial Intelligence (AI) can finally cop with the complexity of nowadays' traffic and mobility challenges with Model Predictive Control (MPC) and CCAM, let us take a look at the history: “Urban Traffic Control (UTC) systems were introduced in as far back as the 1970s, with the first generation providing coordinated control based on pre-determined fixed schedules, and the next generation providing System Activated Plan Selection (SAPS) based on detector data”, remembers Koos van Vliet, ImFlow product manager at SWARCO in Dutch Amersfoort. "Adaptive" traffic control now means a system that takes into account a variety of factors and road users (i.e. cars, pedestrians, and cyclists, public transport, emergency vehicles, etc.) and optimises signals and traffic flow to minimise stops, travel time and therefore emissions

In addition to traffic engineers using logic to program traffic controllers, a wide range of adaptive traffic systems are now available on the market, each with specific functions, features and levels of adaptivity to suit individual local requirements and complexity, ranging from vehicle actuation to strategy managers (SAPS) to model-based control - for individual intersections, corridors, and networks.“ImFlow's Model Predictive Control (MPC) navigates the complex terrain of traffic dynamics by minimising a cost function over a finite horizon”, van Vliet reports. “Having won the prestigious Intertraffic Innovation Award in 2012 as the first policy-based adaptive traffic control system, it now also integrates CCAM in its intelligent algorithm, enabling city authorities to reap the full benefits of CCAM: increased safety, reduced environmental impact, and a newfound sense of inclusiveness.”

The integration of the Dutch Talking

Traffic and Belgian Mobilidata programmes was the catalyst for the powerful combination of MPC and C-ITS, making ImFlow an eco-system that allows traffic light controllers or traffic centrals to be upgraded to an intelligent traffic controller. Imagine a traffic control system that learns, predicts, and optimises in real time, responding intuitively to the ups and downs of urban life: prioritising trucks, groups of cyclists and other active road users, providing GLOSA services that redefine the traffic experience. All based on the city's policies and more intelligent than current AI could work.

With nearly a thousand ImFlow installations in eight countries, the latest successful additions in Darmstadt in Germany and Crewe (East Cheshire) in the UK, the system is an attestation of its reliability as the foundation for modern traffic control, ensuring harmonious coexistence of road users with its mantra of Optimise, Prioritise, and Inform.