BANGALORE, India | 19th November 2020: SITIS [Sweden-India Transport Innovation & Safety Collaboration] is one of the largest collaborations in the road safety arena involving 15 Swedish & Indian companies and institutes. This project is envisioned to be conducted over a year in real-life operations in partnership with KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation) for collecting valuable data that can define Indian traffic conditions & transport eco-system, as well as driver behaviour. Robust and relevant data is going to be a key factor behind future safety initiatives that would be deployed to reduce fatalities on Indian roads. Evidence-based approach and actions will help in bringing down more than 150,000 road fatalities in India each year.
The SITIS collaboration arrived at a key milestone when it completed an 8-month pilot run of the SITIS Connected Safety-Bus platform, which will now be adapted into real-time operations. It includes the following partners: Autoliv, Ericsson, Manipal Hospitals, Altair, Saab, Tech Mahindra and Volvo Group, as well as universities and research institutes; India Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT Delhi), Chalmers University of Technology, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden; and the technical authorities ARAI, and the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI). The platform engages also with the Vision Zero Academy at the Swedish Transport Administration, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (Govt of India) and NITI Aayog.
“At SITIS, we aim to become a prominent centre for applied research that stakeholders can rely upon, while taking actions to improve road safety. Behind this trust will lie robust data and evidence-based work. The trust we place in data shall have multiplier effect on the speed with which we finally turn research into real-life solutions – guiding us to focus our precious resources to areas that have high potential in saving lives. The SITIS Connected Safety-Bus platform is a commitment by 15 partners from India and Sweden in that very direction,” commented Mr. Kamal Bali, Chairman, SITIS Board, and President Volvo Group India.
The bus in operation is equipped with various cameras, sensors, logging equipment which will capture the entire eco-system outside the bus as well as the in-vehicle environment. This data will be processed in real-time as well as offline to analyze and build insights in order to characterize the Indian traffic conditions as well as driver behavior. In phase 2 of this project, the bus will be further equipped with radar systems and equipment that monitors weather, air quality and various other parameters, as well as be installed in multiple vehicles.
This initiative will also link data, learnings and insights with research activities targeted at various user groups, including drivers, fleet managers, fleet operators and other stakeholders.
The entire activity of collecting real-time data, transmission of data, post processing of data and building insights requires collaboration across many scientific disciplines and technologies – Sensors, data logging & management systems, traffic and vehicle simulations, driver behavior studies, analytic tools such as AI and Machine Learning as well as transport management systems & robust connectivity.
