SMART Pole @ Road Junctions -Security and Revenue Generating Opportunities
SMART city is an emerging and fast growing infrastructure sector initiative by Government of India in collaboration with Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). Primary goal of SMART city mission is to improve livability index of citizens in terms of ensuring HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) standards, balanced supply and demand of utilities, public security, digital connectivity, information exchange, seamless and safe transportation, ease of governance, etc. through a combination of various sensors, IOT devices, data transmission media and analytics.
In any city or town, the road junction is a location where two or more roads join together in terms of commutation connectivity. According to Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India (GoI) press release, approximately 35 to 40% of total accidents take place at traffic junctions. GoI targets to reduce the loss of lives and assets in road accidents through adopting new technology apart from creating road safety awareness, education and law enforcement.
Major road safety concerns and security lapses at junctions are as follows:
- Over-speeding vehicles
- Signal/ white line violation
- Signals non-functioning
- Wrong direction/ side or counter-flow driving
- Free left violation
- Absence of speed retarding devices/ mechanism
- Absence of zebra crossings
- Absence of foot-over bridge/ underpass
- Absence of on-duty traffic police personnel
- Haphazard parking
- Lane cutting without proper signalling
- Road blocks during agitations or by miscreants
- Illegal hoardings blocking drivers’ vision
- Bringing down of overhead electrical cables due to extra heighted trailers
- Illegal processions with large uncontrolled crowds
- Highly polluted areas due to repeated traffic congestions
Considering aforesaid threats, the major road junctions can be equipped with a SMART POLE that caters mounting of various sensors, devices, transceivers, equipment vertically at single place. SMART means Sensing, Monitoring, Analysing and Remote Transmission with wired or wireless connectivity to City Control and Command Centre (C4). This smart poles can minimise the above mentioned threats to a great extent.
Smart pole design can be a customised according to the need of sensing, monitoring required at the particular junction. Smart pole may be comprised of following sensors, devices, equipment and their functions with resultant factors:
|
Sr. No. |
Sensors/ devices/ equipment |
Functions | Resultant factors |
| 1. | Fixed and PTZ CCTV cameras for city surveillance system | Citizen safety, law and order situations monitoring. | Improved life security and important assets safety. |
| 2. | Fixed CCTV cameras for Automatic Number Plate Reading (ANPR), Red Light Violation Detection (RLVD) and detect other offences/ violations | Vehicular road and traffic rules violation monitoring and evidence data based e-challan generation. Detecting offences namely mobile phone usage while driving, no helmet while biking, littering/ spitting at traffic signals, smoking/ drinking while driving, no seatbelt fastened while driving, etc. | Though evidence supported e-challan, it reduces efforts in manual offence detection further time consuming procedures to collect penalties. Prohibits revenue leakage and increases transparent revenue collection. |
| 3. | Fixed and PTZ CCTV cameras for Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) | Traffic sensing, vehicles density analyse and adaptive control technique. | Optimised traffic control and avoid situational based congestions. On-duty traffic police personnel safety. |
| 4. | Traffic signals | For traffic control based on ITMS inputs and safe pedestrian crossings management. | Reduce extra poles required for traffic signals mounting if suitably mounted on smart pole. |
| 5. | Environmental sensor to measure SO2, NO2, CO, O2, PM2.5, PM10, Noise | To keep vigil on air polluting gases, elements and send data at regular intervals with emergency notifications to C4. | Environmental livability index and air quality index to take corrective measures on pollution |
| Sr.
No. |
Sensors/ devices/
equipment |
Functions | Resultant factors |
| and Lux level, temperature, humidity, etc. | control. | ||
| 6. | Mobile signal booster | Mobile signal enhancing. | Revenue generating opportunity based on competitive rates offered by mobile service providers. |
| 7. | Network switches for OFC and other systems | Connectivity to C4 through patching optical fiber cables to fiber enabled network switches. | City wide OFC network formation for digital information flow and exchange with C4. |
| 8. | City Wi-Fi Access
Point (AP) for digital connectivity |
Backhaul/ repeaters for Wi-Fi
networks and internet access. |
Revenue generating
opportunity based on paid Wi-Fi services to citizens, visitors. |
| 9. | Intelligent LED street light controller for energy optimisation | Automatic ON-OFF, dimming of street lights according to daylight. | Energy saving through Electrical current consumption. |
| 10. | Panic/ emergency response switch with image capturing and call-back system | First and immediate channel for citizens to contact C4 located city call centre for help/ assistance in emergency. | Citizens’ connectivity with local safety, utility authorities. |
| 11. | Electric vehicle charging station (especially for e-bikes) | Considering promotion of e-vehicles, battery charging with nominal fees. | Emergency or routine charging station on road for e-vehicles. |
| 12. | Public address system | Addressing, delivering directives to citizens in planned/ emergency situations. Audio advertisement in normal situations. | Reaching large sets of people through C4 in emergency situations to assure safety. Revenue generating opportunity based on paid announcement services to |
| Sr.
No. |
Sensors/ devices/
equipment |
Functions | Resultant factors |
| event organisers and traders. | |||
| 13. | Digitally controlled variable messages display board/ billboard | For events, functions, city information and traders’ advertisements. | Revenue generating opportunity based on paid services to event organisers and traders. |
| 14. | Stationary display
board for advertising |
For events, functions, city
information and traders’ advertisements (small durations). |
Revenue generating
opportunity based on paid services to event organisers and traders. |
| 15. | City information kiosk (optional) | Digital information interface for citizens (local & visitors). | Ease of information flow from government to citizens. Ready information on fingertips. |
| 16. | Solar power supply | Solar powered supply for pole mounted lower consumption electrical services as well as in emergency. | Assuring uninterrupted electricity supply to assure services functioning during loss of normal power feed. |
To offer best livability to citizens while driving SMART city mission, the ULBs have many challenges to generate, collect revenue towards services provisions, system functioning, operation and maintenance (O&M) and fund raising for future developmental plans. The above mentioned features CoinPal of smart pole can generate huge revenue on continuous basis for the ULBs. The implementation strategy may vary from city to city as required.
