Creating a safer and easier commute in the region is the greatest reward for MAG team members working on emerging technologies projects. Still, it also is gratifying when hard work is recognized by your professional peers.

During the 2022 Intelligent Transportation Society of Arizona’s (ITS AZ) annual conference, three MAG staff, Omar Aboulaban, Shuyao Hong and Dr. Wang Zhang received awards for best ITS implementation project, best ITS planning project, and best use of an ITS industry product or service based on emerging technology pilots (see below for more information). 

This year’s annual conference was attended by nearly 500 professionals from the public and private sectors and featured more than 50 vendors. It was held in Mesa, Arizona on October 19-20. 

“These projects were truly collaborative efforts. MAG, MAG member agencies, vendors, and consultants, as well as leading academics from Arizona public universities, joined forces to deploy and evaluate promising technologies. The pilot projects tested new transportation technologies in real-world conditions and produced invaluable lessons that will inform future deployments and investment decisions,” said MAG Transportation Technologies and Services Director Dr. Vladimir Livshits. “The lessons learned through these pilots help us determine what projects are feasible on a large scale, what are the appropriate use cases for various technologies and levels of maturity of various technological products.”

MAG staff also were tapped to share their expertise by organizing a workshop on ITS Solutions Beyond Infrastructure. The workshop highlighted transportation solutions based on big data, artificial intelligence, internet of things, and advances in communication technologies.  The technical session featured four MAG presentations. 

The workshop was moderated by Marisa Walker of the Arizona Commerce Authority and featured opening remarks by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Division Administrator Karla Petty. Following featured presentations by the industry's leaders, a highly informed panel discussion was participated by the workshop speakers and public agencies, including FHWA, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), Maricopa County Department of Transportation, MAG, and the University of Arizona.
 

MAG received three awards based on emerging technology pilots:

Best ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) Implementation Project - Automated Signal Timing Plan Generator for State Route (SR) 347
Project partners included MAG, the Arizona Department of Transportation, City of Maricopa, Rhythm Engineering, HDR, and Northern Arizona University. It evaluated an artificial intelligence (AI) based system that automates the process for retiming traffic corridors to reduce congestion and delays along State Route 347 serving the City of Maricopa.

Best ITS Planning Project - Autonomous Vehicle Shuttle Pilot Deployment and Lessons Learned 
Partners included MAG, City of Peoria, BEEP, HDR, and Arizona State University. It demonstrated the feasibility of an autonomous shuttle providing circulation for a medical complex in Peoria.

Best Use of an ITS Industry Product or Service - Testing of Non-Intrusive Emerging Technologies for Pedestrian and Bicyclists Detections and Counts 
Project partners included MAG, City of Phoenix, City of Tempe, HDR, Rick Engineering, Currux Vision, FLIR, Iteris, Boulder AI, Miovision, GRIDSMART, and Rhythm Engineering. This project examined the accuracy of various AI-based sensors for improving pedestrian safety at intersections in the cities of Tempe and Phoenix.