Intel arm to track accident spots across Karnataka

BENGALURU: THE state will soon have a comprehensive database on the status of its roads, traffic signals and traffic flow, which would act as a key in enhancing road safety and traffic management.
The Department of IT, BT and ST, Karnataka, announced on Friday that it has tied up with Intel India and Intel Corp’s subsidiary Mobileye, to create a repository of road and traffic information. These companies will help the government create a comprehensive database by capturing the status of road and traffic across the state, over the next nine months. The announcement was made on the second day of the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2017.

To create this database, Intel will put in place vehicles across the state which will be fitted with cameras and sensors. These vehicles will also make use of Mobileye Collision Avoidance Systems, which will identify potential accident zones or “Grey Spots”. The company is also looking at this extended period of time to complete the data collation.

A spokesperson from Intel India explained that the purpose was to harness technology to save lives. “There are as many as 17 deaths per hour due to road accidents. Our goal is to harness technology to avoid this situation. The effort of this project will be to collect information on roads in the state. If you look at several countries, there is structured data. In India, we are yet to put in place comprehensive data. Also, there are a lot of local nuances here in terms of condition of the road, traffic signals and driver behaviour patterns. Given that Intel has a significant presence in Karnataka, we have been collaborating closely with the government.”

Nivruti Rai, country head, Intel India, vice president of Data Center Group, said, “We are excited about this opportunity to contribute towards advancing ecosystem innovation that will make our roads safer with driving becoming more intelligent and efficient.”

Minister for IT, BT and Tourism M Priyank Kharge told Express that they would give regulatory permissions required for the project to the companies, while Intel and Mobileye will put in the required technology. “Once the data is collated, it will be open to the public,” he added.The data can be used by all the stakeholders to come up with effective road regulations and enhanced road management systems. Also, this data could be used in the future for smart cars to provide assistance to drivers on the condition of the road.