Trafficware, provider of traffic signal control technology, and SWIM.AI, a Silicon Valley edge intelligence software firm, have signed a commercial agreement launching TidalWave, a live streaming traffic information service powered by machine-learning and edge computing.
The TidalWave service is now available nationally, and is the industry’s latest advancement based on the original work developed in Silicon Valley to provide the first open source traffic data used in connected vehicle applications. The partnership between ITS industry veteran Trafficware and SWIM.AI, transforms the accuracy and resolution of traffic information so communities can deliver streaming traffic data with sub-second accuracy using edge computing, while also packaged in a more affordable cloud service with low overhead and no impact to city infrastructure.
Joe Custer, CFO of Trafficware, explains, “TidalWave was designed using the first of its kind, ‘intelligent edge’ architecture for use by the connected vehicle, smart cities, and ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) markets, and will lead Trafficware and the ITS market into the next transformative era of technology over the next decade.”
Rusty Cumpston, CEO of SWIM, adds, “TidalWave uses a disruptive approach based on edge learning and analytics. TidalWave analyzes, learns and predicts as data is created, at the edge, on existing hardware using a powerful edge compute/data fabric. It delivers precise, granular traffic data at a resolution of hundreds of milliseconds, at a small fraction of the cost of central cloud-hosted learning and prediction.”
Today, the majority of routing and logistics applications rely on historical cellular GPS data to measure roadway congestion and estimate travel times. In order to determine traffic congestion on arterial corridors, the applications assume that all cell phones are located in moving vehicles and reflect current conditions. The speed and accuracy at which the data is collected, analyzed and made available is slow and often does not reflect the actual experience of drivers.
TidalWave performs the traffic and signal analysis either at a city’s advanced traffic management system or on controllers at street level and generates highly accurate real-time information. The efficiency of the edge solution means that data volumes are reduced by a factor of over 100 and can provide hardware savings of up to 80% compared to traditional solutions. The service is a simple software addition to existing city infrastructure and subscribers to the Tidalwave service receive traffic information from a real-time API with still no cost for the service to the city.
TidalWave is a wholly owned subsidiary of Trafficware, a 40-year veteran of the ITS industry that specializes in research, design, development, and manufacturing of traffic control systems, including electronic equipment and software for the transportation industry. The company’s flagship Synchro®traffic simulation and analysis products are used by engineers in more than 90 countries around the world. Trafficware’s growth is backed by KRG Capital Partners, a private equity firm with more than $4 billion in capital.
SWIM.AI software combines edge computing and machine learning to deliver real-time business insights at the edge. The company enables businesses to reduce, analyze, learn and predict from ‘gray’ edge data, on existing or commodity devices. SWIM works with OEMs, service providers, enterprises, cities and IoT vendors to deliver business insights. SWIM.AI was founded in Silicon Valley in 2015, by a team of experienced serial entrepreneurs to usher in the next generation of intelligent edge applications