Collecting data from Internet of Things (IoT) sensors enables entire cities to access key information as well as new data to manage their resources and services more efficiently, to the benefit of citizens. Quebec is already positioning itself as a pioneer in mobility and smart cities, notably through an innovative project in the field of public transit systems: Tangente IA. The Government of Quebec also committed, in October 2020, to provide support of $5.6M for this project.
Tangente IA connects solar-powered IoT devices to bus stops to collect important data such as passenger volumes, wait times, air pollution and noise levels, among others. The solution provides real-time information to users on upcoming departures and other travel alternatives at each stop, not only at major intersections.
This first project of its kind in North America is led by BusPas with the collaboration of several researchers from Quebec universities, notably McGill, Concordia, Polytechnique Montréal, HEC Montréal, the University of Sherbrooke, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR). It is a successful industry-academic collaboration that establishes a significant development base for smart city connectivity, such that real-world pilot projects will be carried out soon.
Connecting Laval through its public transit
Discussions are well underway to finalize a partnership with the City of Laval and the Société de transport de Laval for a future pilot project at certain bus stops.
Through such pilot projects, BusPas seeks to understand and solve the various obstacles that transit agencies face. Thus, by fully understanding the various aspects related to traffic flows, logistics and other factors that public transit faces at the city scale, BusPas facilitates the deployment of its solution to cities across North America and beyond.
A smart city during the pandemic
Tangente IA's technology is able to provide crucial data for public transit during this pandemic. Indeed, it allows not only the detection of congestion, main stops and the most frequented routes, but also the provision of information regarding bus capacity, thereby enabling better control of onboard crowding.
The sensors put in place will allow public transit agencies to adapt to the situation during this pandemic, but also to readjust during the post-pandemic recovery. Work will be greatly facilitated thanks to the real-time data transmitted by the sensors, which will limit the multiple iterations of trial and error. This will allow the complete transformation of the public transit customer experience.
Connecting entire cities via public transit
The first step initiated by Tangente IA's sensors aims to connect thousands of IoT devices located at every point in the city into a preliminary, foundational network for any smart city. What was initially a dedicated network for the public transit system can then be reshaped to meet the city's various data needs, thanks to an application programming interface integrated into each sensor and to the business intelligence platform. Think, for example, of measuring ambient temperature and air CO2 levels, which makes it possible to precisely map heat islands and major pollution hotspots.
As cities continue to implement smart initiatives, smart transportation brings tangible and effective solutions to mobility problems. These solutions will evolve according to the capacity to capture and exploit the data flow. "By taking all these major technologies that have become accessible and reliable, and introducing them in very strategic locations, Tangente IA helps improve the citizen experience and influences how transit agencies operate around the world," according to Greg Vitetzakis, Vice President of Technology for BusPas.
Data privacy
Tangente IA complies with regulatory requirements regarding user data protection, notably: data encryption, data storage for minimal periods, and data anonymization.
This sponsored content was produced as part of the Impulsion MTL 2020 event – The international forum on fleet management.
