‘s-Hertogenbosch expands StreetSense sensor network

For a year, we tested smart road sensors in ‘s-Hertogenbosch that provided us with information about traffic flows and other factors that influence traffic, such as temperature and precipitation. The results of the StreetSense road surface sensors are good and so the pilot will be followed up with more sensors for even more information.

Councilor Ufuk Kâhya:
“We want to make smart use of data and technology to make the traffic in our municipality cleaner, safer and more comfortable for everyone. These sensors ensure that we can measure even more in an economic way and know how the traffic is developing.”

The pilot
In total, we installed 30 sensors at 20 locations in our municipality. We chose these places to test the sensors under different conditions. For example, places with different types of road surface and different types of roads. The sensors were exposed to different weather conditions for a year. This varied from extreme heat to severe frost. The robust StreetSense road surface sensors worked well, providing valuable information and so the pilot will be continued with more sensors for even more data collection. In the extension of the pilot, the municipality wants to collect additional information about the type of vehicle (motorcycle, passenger car, truck, etc.) but also wants to increase the reliability when measuring speed and temperature. ‘s-Hertogenbosch is also expanding the number of sensors to 50.

What did the pilot yield?
The information provided is accurate compared to existing measurement systems. And these sensors are a valuable addition to the smoothness measurement system. We more than achieved the previously set goals. In addition, collecting data with the road surface sensors offers a number of other advantages. We name a few:

• A sensor can be used flexibly and is not location-bound. This means that the sensor can be reused in another location.
• The sensors are virtually invisible.
• The live data is immediately available via an online dashboard.
• The costs per measuring point are lower on an annual basis.