The Triangeln Station in the newly opened City Tunnel in Malmö is not just an exciting design, it also employs exciting new technology to count the number of passengers using the station. Counting takes place by means of sensors that carry out video analysis performed locally in each unit.
Because no images are registered or transmitted, no camera surveillance permit is required, which makes it easier to take advantage of the new technology.
– Getting good, accurate information about when and how the station is used is of course of great interest to us, says Inge Melin at the City of Malmö Council. It provides us with useful statistics for planning and follow-up, and in the long run the capability of following flows in real time. And we also want to show passengers how many actually use the station.
One advantage with this solution is that all analysis takes place in the sensor and only readings are collected from it, which means no camera surveillance permit is necessary as with other video-based solutions.
An important station for the future
The entrances to the new Triangeln Station in Malmö have a unique design that creates a very futuristic yet welcoming impression. Each steel lattice shell is clad with a total of 1,600 panes of glass that fit together as in a giant puzzle whose pieces all have unique dimensions.
The station is important for those who live and work in central Malmö. It is estimated that by 2020
40,000 passengers will pass through the station daily. New technology that will keep tabs on station usage was recently installed.
New technology counts
Counting takes place by means of four sensors located above the escalators, where the number of passengers moving in or out of the station is computed. The sensors consist of a type of camera that works with video analysis locally in each sector. Basically, the method separates the background from the foreground and discerns moving objects of a relevant size and shape and follows them through the image stream. The technology was developed by the Cognimatics company in Lund, and Infracontrol was responsible for delivery and installation.
– We had carried out tests of the technology in a pedestrian precinct in central Malmö earlier, informs Jonas Bratt, Project Manager at Infracontrol. The test results were good and showed that we achieved very high accuracy with this kind of traffic counting.
New possibilities
One advantage with the solution is that all analysis takes place inside the sensor and only readings are taken from it, which means no camera surveillance permit is necessary as with other video-based solutions. This opens up new possibilities for getting better information on how people move through the city, or in this case, a public space like a rail station.
– The need for flexible, adaptable people-counting solutions in different surroundings will increase in the future, says Johan Höglund, Managing Director at Infracontrol. Aside from the benefit charting flows provides, it also means opportunities for increased safety and security. Accurate information about the number of people that spend time in a given area will facilitate e.g. rescue efforts in crisis situations.
Because the new types of measuring equipment are so simple to set up and manage, it’s easy to carry out surveys before and after remedial actions and thus measure the effects of the actions. It also makes it possible to install temporary measuring equipment in connection with e.g. short duration disruptions such as maintenance work or limited accessibility for some other reason.
There are often many existing solutions where traffic is measured in different ways. As an independent systems integrator Infracontrol is able to assist with the integration of information from the various solutions to provide a coherent picture of the traffic situation.
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