AD Aware Traffic Control – Swedish cloud platforms paving the way for emergency vehicles

27 March 2018

A recently started Swedish research project, AD Aware Traffic Control – Emergency Vehicles, conducted by Volvo Cars, Carmenta, Ericsson, SOS Alarm and RISE, Research Institutes of Sweden is developing a cloud-based traffic control platform that builds on the Drive Sweden Innovation Cloud, and enables smooth and seamless information exchange between coordinators of emergency vehicles and automated vehicles. Automated vehicles are expected to bring many benefits to the society, including improved safety, reduced congestion, lower emissions, higher productivity, and greater access to mobility. To ensure these benefits, such vehicles need to be able to exchange information with other vehicles in their vicinity. 

The project will result in:
A prototype cloud platform for information exchange between automated vehicles and coordinators of emergency vehicles.
A public demonstration of the platform and its functionality.
Knowledge on societal benefits as well as important challenges with the platform.

The time to arrival of emergency vehicles is often a matter of life and death. It is, however, not uncommon today that these vehicles get disturbed by other vehicles and delayed in traffic. The question is if the introduction of automated vehicles in our society will facilitate a quicker and safer arrival of emergency vehicles?

This question is addressed in the research project AD Aware Traffic Control – Emergency Vehicles where the previously demonstrated AD Aware Traffic Control platform is being further developed to include cloud-based services for sharing information between emergency vehicle coordinators and automated vehicles. In addition to weather, visibility and general traffic situation information, it now combines also real-time emergency vehicle and detailed geospatial information from local road networks and their surroundings to create a shared operational picture of the traffic situation.

– We are today responsible for assigning the appropriate vehicle to the right location in an emergency. The introduction of automated vehicles that can share information about themselves, and the route they’re heading, brings great opportunities. Emergency vehicles can reach their location faster and more efficient. But the project also poses new challenges in terms of how to ensure that information is shared in a safe and reliable way, says Mattias Hindfelt, CIO SOS Alarm.

In AD Aware Traffic Control cloud platform, the Carmenta TrafficWatch™ is a key component, which is designed to bring situational awareness, supervise traffic environment and control connected vehicles.

– Based on our long experience in providing solutions to emergency response operators combined with a cutting-edge technology for safe operation of connected and automated vehicles, we are proud to provide a solution for seamless integration of automated vehicles and emergency vehicles in real traffic situations, says Björn Berndtsson, CEO Carmenta.

In its role as an active partner in the Drive Sweden strategic innovation program, Ericsson has developed and operates a cloud infrastructure for information sharing between vehicles, infrastructure and users – Drive Sweden Innovation Cloud that is, among others, hosting the Carmenta TrafficWatch™ and communicating with SOS Alarm Cloud as well as Volvo Cars’ Traffic Control Center for Automated Vehicles.

– It is Ericsson’s IoT Accelerator platform that is used here, explains Anders Fagerholt, principal consultant on ITS at Ericsson. When adapted and used for transport applications, the solution is called Connected Urban Transport. It collects data from various sources and facilitates safe and reliable communication with other clouds.

To create a better understanding of technical requirements that AD Aware Traffic Control needs to fulfil, and how it could add value to the society and accelerate acceptance of automated vehicles, a proof-of-concept evaluation will be carried out.

– Building upon our extensive experience in evaluation methodologies, we will plan and conduct the evaluation, says Azra Habibovic, senior researcher at RISE Viktoria. In this work, it is important to acknowledge that applicability of the platform is not necessarily limited to automated vehicles only. It could be used as a complement to sirens and lights to provide alerts to drivers of conventional vehicles, which extends the potential of AD Aware Traffic Control beyond the borders of the current project.

A public demonstration of the platform and preliminary project results is planned for the end of June 2018, and will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden (additional information will be posted on the project site). The project is expected to end in December 2018. It is co-funded by the Drive Sweden strategic innovation program.

About Volvo Car Group
Volvo has been in operation since 1927. Today, Volvo Cars is one of the most well-known and respected car brands in the world with sales of 571,577 cars in 2017 in about 100 countries. Volvo Cars has been under the ownership of the Zhejiang Geely Holding (Geely Holding) of China since 2010. It formed part of the Swedish Volvo Group until 1999, when the company was bought by Ford Motor Company of the US. In 2010, Volvo Cars was acquired by Geely Holding.

In 2017, Volvo Cars employed on average approximately 38,000 (30,400) full-time employees. Volvo Cars head office, product development, marketing and administration functions are mainly located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Cars head office for China is located in Shanghai. The company’s main car production plants are located in Gothenburg (Sweden), Ghent (Belgium), Chengdu and Daqing (China), while engines are manufactured in Skövde (Sweden) and Zhangjiakou (China) and body components in Olofström (Sweden). group.volvocars.com

About Carmenta
Carmenta has been supplying world-class software for mission-critical systems for more than 30 years – systems in which superior situational awareness is the key to success. We provide high performance software products, develop client-specific solutions and offer a wide range of services that help some of the world’s most technologically-advanced customers optimise their operations using real-time geospatial information. For connected and autonomous vehicles, Carmenta provides cutting edge cloud technology for safe operations of connected & automated vehicles. Background maps with integrated sensor data, weather forecasts, video streams and other information provides; the common operational picture, decision taking engine and real-time advice, all necessary for the safe and efficient operations of automated vehicles of the future. carmenta.com

About Ericsson
Ericsson enables communications service providers to capture the full value of connectivity. The company’s portfolio spans Networks, Digital Services, Managed Services, and Emerging Business and is designed to help our customers go digital, increase efficiency and find new revenue streams. Ericsson’s investments in innovation have delivered the benefits of telephony and mobile broadband to billions of people around the world. The Ericsson stock is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and on NASDAQ New York. ericsson.com

About SOS Alarm
Sweden SOS Alarm Sweden is a dedicated contributor to a safe and secure society for anyone within our nations borders, by dispatching emergency services 24/7. When calling the emergency number 112 anyone may request emergency assistance, whoever you are, wherever you are. SOS Alarm Sweden is also responsible for the information number 113 13, used to obtain or contribute with information during major accidents or societal crises. SOS Alarm is a pivotal player in the Swedish society’s emergency preparedness alongside alarm dispatching, security and on call services. With the benefits of unique competence, long experience and by constant development of services, SOS Alarm is the hub that creates safety and security. sosalarm.se

About RISE Viktoria
The RISE institutes Innventia, SP, and Swedish ICT have merged in order to become a stronger research and innovation partner. Through our international collaboration programmes with academia, industry, and the public sector, we ensure the competitiveness of the Swedish business community on an international level and contribute to a sustainable society. Our 2,200 employees support and promote all manner of innovative processes, and our roughly 100 testbeds and demonstration facilities are instrumental in developing the future-proofing of products, technologies, and services. RISE Research Institutes of Sweden is fully owned by the Swedish state. ri.se

About Drive Sweden
Drive Sweden is a Strategic Innovation Program launched by the Swedish government, that creates future mobility services based on connected, self-driving and shared vehicles. Drive Sweden gathers the best in the area – from all sectors of society. We work closely together to make optimal use of all possibilities, but also to address the challenges that could arise along the way. The Drive Sweden innovation program is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, the Swedish Research Council Formas and Sweden’s innovation agency VINNOVA. Lindholmen Science Park is the host for the program. drivesweden.net

For more information please contact:
Johan Holmqvist
Vice President, Business Development, Carmenta
johan.holmqvist@carmenta.com
+46 70 840 59 49

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