DLSU’s Traffic Violation System to be tested in EDSA

Last academic year, the University, in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD), launched the Contactless Apprehension for Traffic Violators on a 24-Hour Basis and All-Vehicle Detection System or “CATCH-ALL.” A technology-based system, the emerging Lasallian invention aims to reprimand drivers that do not abide with traffic regulations.

The project focuses on drivers’ respective behaviors identified through a 24-hour, seven-day a week detection system that was designed and developed to detect vehicle plate numbers using camera vision. Likewise, it can recognize number coding, reckless driving, and swerving traffic violations that will therein provide immediate notification to the violators. It also protects unquestionable evidence on the traffic violations recorded, hence preventing possible altering of information.

On the system architecture

CATCH-ALL is an automatic traffic violation detection and accident prevention system. Based on the project proposal, traffic violations are directly captured by a smart camera and a low-cost IP camera placed in specific locations along the campus vicinity. The data gathered by the cameras are transmitted to a video analysis system via a road-side unit (RSU). This data is stored in servers that are configured as shared storages or hard drives. There are two units for the power supply, mainly the main UPS, and an extra battery with a Tesla computing processor and 40 terabytes of storage data.

Data analytics from the CATCH-ALL system are then used to analyze traffic patterns in specific routes. These respective information can be used as a guide in decision making by traffic law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders involved. The data will then be analyzed by an Artificial Intelligence (AI) software that uses vehicle detection and tracking, vehicle profiling, vehicle plate localization and character recognition, and traffic violation identification, respectively.

The traffic violations data collected from no-contact apprehensions systems will be forwarded to an outdoor LED screen with real-time video playback and will be sent to a traffic violations information system (TRAVIS), a web-based software which will be available to all online users.

According to Dr. Alexis Fillone, head of the Transport Engineering Division under the Civil Engineering Department and one of the proponents of the project, CATCH-ALL will instill discipline on drivers to follow traffic rules and regulations. He also adds that “since majority of violators can be caught, revenues can be earned which can be channeled to further improve our transportation system. Through this, unnecessary solicitation from abusive officials can also be prevented.”

On project implementation

Traffic Discipline Zones along Taft Ave. to Singalong Ave. have been implemented since May 2017. CATCH-ALL, as of press time, is ongoing initial stages of testing along EDSA. The team, spearheaded by professors and researchers from the Gokongwei College of Engineering, working under the Intelligent Transport Systems Laboratory, is still coordinating with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to further improve the system.

Likewise, they are still under financial support of DOST-PCIEERD. The proponents share that hopefully by early next year, the Filipinos can see it working on at least three intersections in EDSA.

“Although the setting-up of the system may be expensive at the start, and calibration needs to be done differently per intersection since it uses artificial intelligence, the system learns all from different situations; hence as more and more intersections or road segments are analyzed, it will become highly intelligent applicable to different situations,” Fillone shares.

Insights from students

Stephen Sulicipan (VI, CIV) shares that traffic in the University has been unbearable ever since he was a freshman back in 2012. However, after the implementation of CATCH-ALL just this year, he shares that the traffic violations may have been less as compared to the past years. “I’m happy that DLSU supports researches like CATCH-ALL that helps promote discipline to students and drivers,” he conveys.

Faced with questions regarding the possible installation of CATCH-ALL in the circumferential highway, Clark Co (III, CS-CSE) says that if it can help the University in its traffic problem, then hopefully, it can greatly help EDSA as well. However, he explains that he thinks that the system needs to be recalibrated to the situation of EDSA. “I suppose they may need several cameras along every intersection since EDSA is wider. They may also need a more powerful camera to put it higher above the road so that it will not be vandalized,” he asserts