How traffic cameras assist in accurate traffic volume modeling

The recent Covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on human mobility around the world, changing commuter behavior and resulting in a shift in vehicle numbers on the road and preferred modes of transportation. Vizzion’s worldwide network of over 65,000 roadside traffic cameras provides mobility data companies a source of fresh traffic imagery and video to ensure their data models remain accurate, allowing them to analyze and evaluate traffic changes and forecast future trends. As the leading roadside traffic imagery provider in terms of availability, reliability, and coverage, Vizzion helps mobility data companies better understand how many vehicles pass a location. This data is then used to improve traffic flow data for commuters, identify favorable locations for new businesses, and improve transportation agencies’ understanding of how their road network is used.

Traffic cameras provide continuous real-time data

Vizzion’s roadside cameras operate 24/7 to provide a fresh and constant source of ground truth and real-time vehicle counts. Mobility data analysts can see traffic flow variations throughout the day and night. Alternative vehicle counting methods such as pneumatic road tubes offer short-term traffic counts and there can be delays between collection and analysis, causing counts to become outdated. Probe data can be scarce during certain times of the day, making the data unreliable. Vizzion’s cameras provide up to the second information with update frequencies often 30 seconds or less, and with over 20,000 live video streaming cameras, users can receive, collate, and assess data in real-time and distribute findings faster.

Congestion in Atlanta shown by a highway traffic camera

Camera imagery is accurate and cost effective

Vehicle count data and flow information can be expensive to keep accurate and up to date. Vizzion’s traffic cameras offer mobility data analysts a cost-effective and accurate source of roadway imagery that can help validate and complete vehicle counts from other sources. Vizzion’s streaming camera feeds capture 100% of vehicles that pass their location, whereas probe data may exclude vehicles and can also be expensive to access. According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), pneumatic road tubes can be inaccurate when truck and bus volumes are high, while several studies in Montana found the absolute error of a typical 15 minute count averaged close to 10%.

Roadside camera shows twilight vehicle numbers in Florida

Access worldwide roadway coverage and temporal data

Vizzion’s camera network covers thousands of miles of roadway across 40 countries globally, providing users with more insights and coverage than pneumatic tubes that can only provide vehicle counts where they are physically installed. Vizzion archives imagery from cameras in key markets for a minimum of 3 months, giving mobility companies instant access into historical traffic data to analyze changes in vehicle numbers over different timespans. On top of providing traffic imagery from specified locations and times, Vizzion also provides a vehicle counting service where cameras are monitored over a selected time span and users can be returned a labeled data set along with the data.

About Vizzion

Vizzion is the leading provider of road imagery for traffic, weather, road condition, and safety operations and applications. Through partnerships with over 200 different transport agencies and on-vehicle camera providers, Vizzion offers live feeds from over 100,000 cameras in 40 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, Australasia, and key markets in South America and Africa. Both on-vehicle and roadside traffic camera services are available through Vizzion’s flexible API and turnkey Video Wall application. Vizzion’s content is trusted by major apps, map providers, broadcasters, fleets, and automotive organizations. Contact busdev@vizzion.com for more information.

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