CASE STUDY
Enhancing Urban Infrastructure
Supporting Ireland’s Leading Provider of Traffic Management Solutions
The client is an Ireland-based specialist in supplying and managing on-street traffic lights, signage, and street furniture. They employ a technically skilled team to deliver first-line support to end users and act as a prime bidder for public and private sector tenders. The project involves the deployment of smart, intelligent traffic lights capable of transmitting data to the Network Operations Centre (NOC) to enable proactive maintenance and service improvement.
What Prompted the Project
Fulfilment of a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the city council for the support and maintenance of traffic light systems supplied and installed by the client
Key challenges
The real-world problems that needed solving
Lack of real-time remote monitoring across the entire traffic light infrastructure makes it extremely difficult to properly service and maintain the system.
The primary challenge was finding a way to report faults using a single device that is flexible, scalable, cost-effective, supports full API integration, and allows for future adaptability.
Finding a reliable supplier offering clear, comprehensive documentation for integration and ongoing support.
The ability to remotely manage and update devices was essential to ensure operational efficiency and minimise downtime.
Without consistent monitoring, faults in traffic lights could go undetected, leading to safety risks, traffic disruptions, and increased maintenance costs.
The servicing team would have unnecessary service trips to the infrastructure, relying on unreliable email and phone complaints.
The servicing team would spend more time identifying the fault on site, increasing servicing costs and causing elongated road closures.
Our Solution Architecture
Hardware
IoT Pro Digital Analogue Serial Sensor, with internal battery backup and taking supply from the traffic light, and interfaced to the traffic light controller fault indication module using 6 Dry Contact inputs.
A vandal-proof Through The Lid (TTL) Antenna is fixed externally on the traffic light controller metal enclosure to ensure optimal connectivity.
Network
Sim-based, wireless over 4G/5G Cellular Grade NB-IoT technology, widely available throughout Ireland through various network operators, even in remote areas, working on a licensed spectrum and reliable through having multiple gateways covering each spot.
Software
Client directly interfaces to IoT Pro hardware over the UDP protocol, removing the need of additional costs in APIs and reducing software components and increasing reliability.
UDP Client and parser was provided to the client included with the hardware, to host on the existing cloud infrastructure.
Support and training to ensure client uses full product functionality and proper interfacing.
Competitive Advantage
IoT Pro hardware has an integrated uninterruptable power supply that allows the device to continue operating even if the infrastructure loses power.
Ten configurable and remotely customisable inputs in a single IoT Pro hardware
Sensor pre-configuration ability in factory allows the device to be deployed on-site without any mobile apps or extra tools, simply by removing a magnet from the back
Full Firmware Over The Air (FOTA) updates over the network for both the host microcontroller and network module, ensuring security and long-term update capability.
IP68 rated housing adds peace of mind to the client in case of moisture or water ingress in the traffic infrastructure.
Results and Impact
Key Performance Indicators & Achievements
100%
elimination
of unnecessary service trips related to false alarms and unverified faults.
20%
improvement
in SLA compliance metrics, specifically response and resolution times.
25%
decrease
in technician hours per site visit, thanks to pre-identified faults allowing for faster and more targeted servicing.
25%
reduction
in road closure durations, as servicing teams arrive with fault knowledge and pre-prepared tools.
20%
decrease
in overall annual maintenance costs, achieved by analysing fault patterns and improving infrastructure resilience.
25%
reduction
in fuel and travel costs due to optimised servicing routes based on actual fault data and severity.
Notable
improvement
in decision-making quality through trend analysis, enabling proactive interventions and better long-term planning.
