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Traffic surveillance: what you need to know about live streaming

12 Apr 2019 - 12:36

Traffic surveillance has become one of the most requested fields for network camera vendors and related software developers. Traffic cameras have proven highly functional with a variety of uses. Let’s take a closer look at how to make the most of them!

 

1. Providing valuable data

Traffic cameras monitor traffic flow and are usually installed in key areas of a given infrastructure. Data obtained from traffic cameras is highly valuable for further analysis and can significantly help with decision-making. Moreover, scientific research focuses on deeper analysis and prediction-making using artificial intelligence and deep learning – all based on traffic camera images.

 

2. Informing police departments

In case of an accident or traffic jam, traffic cameras are especially valuable. In tunnels, for example, safety equipment can be activated remotely based upon information provided by cameras and other sensors.

 

3. Helping commuters

Last but not least, traffic cameras are usually placed at locations with a high risk of congestion. Highways, freeways, busy intersections, and other major traffic arteries are monitored and broadcast online thanks to traffic cameras. It provides a significant information channel for drivers and other participants of road transport. Should I embark on a journey? Is there a traffic jam? Do I need snow chains? Is the weather safe? These are some of the questions that can be answered simply by checking the online broadcast from the traffic cam. No surprise that commuters benefit from traffic live streams the most, especially when an accident or road closure occurs.

 

Choose the platform – use CamStreamer

There are many ways our streaming applications can help you to run a traffic cam. Let’s take a look at some successful examples from our customers.

 

 

Toya Traffic

TOYA is one of the largest CATV operators in Poland. One of the major challenges the company has faced so far is providing the people of Łódź and surrounding cities with live traffic news and an overview of the biggest crossroads and the most critical areas of their city. TOYA looked for solutions to overcome limitations related to the traditional TV transmission and enable sharing video streaming in mobile apps (the iOS and Android platforms), on websites (PC and macOS), and in CATV dedicated applications.

 

 

Making a traffic TV channel with CamStreamer

The challenge was clear: TV industry standards demand MPEG-TS video stream. The key issue was finding optimal software solutions to ensure the transmission had the quality and format appropriate for such TV needs. What might become a problem for any other video streaming solution was no problem at all for the Axis camera and CamStreamer application tandem. Axis Communications cameras (TOYA uses several types of Axis devices, mostly the AXIS P1425-E/P1425-LE) provided supreme video quality, weather resistance, and available functionalities, while the CamStreamer App took care of the MPEG-TS video stream, a long-established standard in the TV industry that couldn’t be omitted.

 

Thanks to this solution, viewers on different platforms, including a designated TV channel, can now watch live traffic situations from more than 90 network cameras in the area.

 

 

I drive Arkansas

 

I drive Arkansas is a website with a pretty clear mission – to provide drivers in Arkansas the best possible service on their way through this state located in the south of the USA. To reach this goal, the website run by the Arkansas Department of Transportation has several functions, all cleverly implemented in an interactive map. The amount of information you can get about your journey is remarkable and contains information about work zones and construction, highway closures, weather conditions, and weight restricted state highways and bridges, and there’s also a special category for winter weather specifics.

 

Making an online platform with CamStreamer

 

Traffic cameras are, of course, an indispensable part of such a project. The IdriveArkansas.com platform offers about 110 live network cameras at critical locations across the state covering a total area of 53,180 square miles. Thanks to the CamStreamer App, the IP video is transferred via RTMP protocol to the Wowza streaming platform and then sent to end users’ devices. The live streams are embedded directly in the website map, which makes the live video conveniently accessible on multiple platforms. It can’t get much more convenient for drivers!

 

Of course, the examples above are big-scale technology solutions, and CamStreamer is often an integral part of such projects. TOYA needed the MPEG-TS format for their purposes, while the ARDOT’s technology demanded the RTMP protocol. In both cases, CamStreamer was the solution. The application adjusts the video from existing cameras according to the needs of the central technology without requiring a hardware encoder.

 

The key advantage of the CamStreamer App is, as you can see above, its versatility. Just take a look at our Live Gallery for a glimpse of traffic cameras from all over the world, all running on our smart applications.

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