Michael Williams

June 2, 2016 - Press Releases,

Atlanta, Ga. USA – 2 June 2016 – Barco, a global leader in networked control room visualization solutions, has collaborated with AV integrator Vistacom to deliver an advanced video wall solution that empowers City of Philadelphia to reduce traffic congestion on its intracity roadways and better identify, analyze and respond to incidents.

At one time, Philadelphia was the only city among the 10 largest municipalities in the United States without a Traffic Operations Center (TOC). Now, a new Barco video wall solution, complete with Control Room Management (CMS) software and integrated with a Genetec VMS, helps the third largest signal system in the country better manage traffic flows and handle problems in real time to respond immediately to issues.

“The Barco collaborative visualization solution provides access to real-time data about the City’s arterial system to actively manage thousands of traffic signals, allowing us to better manage traffic to improve safety, efficiency and innovative service for our residents and visitors,” comments Richard Montanez, Chief Traffic Engineer for the City of Philadelphia.

Creating the big picture with shared, real-time data
The goal of the TOC is to monitor the traffic in real time so the Streets Department can adjust signals, signs and throughways in case there is a massive influx of vehicles or pedestrians in one area. The Streets Department can then push the information to PennDOT and other agencies, who can adjust electronic messaging signs to notify people to move in different directions.

The City worked with AV integrator Vistacom in developing a Barco video wall solution to visualize video feeds from more than 5,000 cameras in a single, large common operational picture. The system ties into Philadelphia’s federated Genetec VMS, which allows the TOC to send, receive and display critical information from the Streets Department, Police Department, SEPTA, the University of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley Intelligence Center (DVIC). Traffic engineers can identify problem areas on the roadways in real time, and make better, faster decisions to provide the most efficient response to incidents.

Versatile views speed decision-making
Comprising 10 OLF-521 front-access, rear projected LED displays in a 5×2 configuration, the wall is powered by Barco’s Control Room Management (CMS) software
and TransForm N. CMS software configures how and where content is displayed. Operators can create perspectives (user-defined layouts) to view data/images/video in the most optimal way.

“Our collaborative visualization solutions are ideal for control room environments where the ability to view and share real-time data from multiple sources is essential to maintaining smooth traffic operations,” comments Hans Dekeyser, Vice President Strategic Marketing for Barco. “With the new video wall, the City has been able to significantly boost situational awareness to respond promptly to any incidents.”