AI in FL
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND VIRTUAL REALITY OPEN POSSIBILITIES ACROSS THE STATE
BY THOMAS EHLERS, STAFF WRITER
A
rtificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) are no longer futuristic ideas; they are practical technologies used by engineers to impact communities and citizens across Florida. Across the state, engineering teams are integrating AI technology with a focus on creating safer roads for all road users. In Central Florida, civil engineering firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin partnered with Derq, a Dubai-based provider of AI analytics solutions for connected roads and vehicles, to deploy a system that provides real time transportation data to improve safety and operations for Osceola County. The project was funded by a $500,000 Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Local Agency Program (LAP) grant, an FDOT program centered around technology deployment to enhance mobility and safety on the state’s highest-fatality roadways. The pilot study – the first of its size for VHB – focused on nine intersections across Osceola County with the goal of providing real-time transportation data to inform improvements.
16 | ENGINEERING FLORIDA
The project group had to overcome a few minor challenges during the rollout, one of which stemmed from the utilization of existing cameras at each location. Video angles, location and quality are paramount to the AI model operating properly, and while there were a few initial detection limitations, the system performed well with the existing cameras, testing at more than 95-percent accuracy across various performance measures. While the pilot provided helpful insights at all nine intersections, the project made a considerable difference at County Road 532 and the Interstate 4 eastbound off ramp. Part of a diverging diamond interchange – where traffic is routed on the opposite side of the road – the AI model identified a problem area where off-ramp drivers weren’t properly identifying drivers on C.R. 532 or obeying the yield sign. VHB identified and communicated these challenges, which both local and state officials can use to better improve the elements of the roadway. In addition, the state is able to revisit existing policies and build these findings into future plans in order to help avoid these issues in the future.