There’s a lot of room left for R&D in the field of South Africa’s transport industry. With a step in the right direction, Stellenbosch University has recently launched its Smart Mobility Laboratory (SSML) that’s seeking to establish a platform for the development of innovative, cost-effective solutions within the field of Intelligent Transport Systems.
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The laboratory will set out to provide outcome-based research which means it’s gearing up to develop applications within developing countries that will help understand and remedy issues within the field of intelligent transport. Think new technologies that can be used to help understand and manage congestion trends, travel time and pressing issues.
Launched through the University’s Engineering Faculty, the initiative will see a collaborative effort from disciplines including traffic and transportation engineers, electric and electronic engineers, Geographic Information Systems specialists, mathematicians and statisticians, and transport economists.
The facility boasts state-of-the-art hardware and software which includes traffic signal equipment, access to relevant databases and transportation engineering software. The lab will, more specifically, also have live video and data feeds from the national freeway management centre.
The initiative has support from transport and logistics software company, PTV Group, as well as the popular navigational equipment outfit, TomTom. Traffic control equipment provider, Syntell, is also working with the SSML in providing a training environment for prospective students in traffic engineering and related disciplines, as well as the creation of a ‘testbed’ for various technology applications locally.
Image: Jonathan Kos-Read via Flickr.
