SMANCY
- SMANCY
- 01.12.2017 - 31.08.2018
- Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure
- mFUND
- 57.000€
- Prof. Dr. Eckhard Koch
- Matthias Füller
- RWTH Aachen, Institute for Road Engineering
More road safety thanks to smart angels
SMANCY – “Smart Angel City” project: preliminary study on the design and implementation of an automated and context-dependent warning and information system for road users
Walking through the streets while surfing and whatsapping on your smartphone? The risk of colliding with a cyclist or car is high. In future, this will be less dangerous if the FHDW research group has its way. Prof. Dr. Eckhard Koch and Matthias Füller have named their research project “Smart Angel City” (SMANCY), in which they are working on a warning system for road users.
The increasing use of smartphones by road users has led to noticeably higher accident rates in recent years – both for road users with motorized vehicles and for pedestrians and cyclists. Previous solutions in the vehicle-to-pedestrian environment or through the expansion of smartphone sensor technology have so far shown little to no improvement. On the other hand, the integration of existing real-time data from traffic operators and traffic light control systems, combined with accident statistics from the surrounding area and the current sensor data of a smartphone user, offers an interesting knowledge context. This knowledge context can provide information about the probability of an accident and thus warn the user of dangers at an early stage using the smartphone if necessary.
The FHDW was able to gain the Institute for Road Engineering at the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule in Aachen as a partner for this complex of topics. The project is being carried out by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) as part of the mFUND funding line.
Development of a context-dependent warning and notification system
The project is intended to investigate the technical, legal and economic feasibility of the solution approach described above for collision and thus accident avoidance. This preliminary study serves to design and prepare the implementation of an automated and context-dependent warning and information system for road users. If the results of this study are encouraging, the envisaged target system “Smart Angel City – SMANCY” will be implemented in a follow-up project and validated in pilot projects.
The feasibility study is divided into the following three work packages:
1
2
3
Analysis & requirements
Available data from the city of Cologne is analyzed and evaluated. In addition, the requirements for the sensor data are determined and the accuracy of today’s smartphone data is ascertained.
Rough concept:
The infrastructure of a SMANCY warning and notification system is outlined. The server and client side are implemented as prototypes in order to determine statements regarding acceptance and user interfaces with an initial executable system. In addition, any unknown hurdles will be identified and addressed at an early stage.
Acceptance and utilization:
With an initial prototype and an online survey, the first statements on the acceptance of a smartphone-based warning and information system are being collected and evaluated.
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