Exploratory Advanced Research . . . Next Generation Transportation Solutions

Coordinating High-Resolution Traffic Cameras

Developing Intelligent, Collaborating Cameras for Transportation Security and Communications

position, velocity, and identifying characteristics. 

The system uses cameras that can cooperate using 

precise and fast electronic pan, tilt, and zoom 

electronics for event detection and follow up. The 

introduction of multiple synchronized cameras that 

communicate such information about targets to 

each other in real time, with wide fields of view, over 

great distances, and at high resolution, represents 

a significant advance over current technology.

Coordinating Cameras

The research team has developed a system of 

coordinating cameras that can communicate with 

each other, zoom in, and then track significant 

events using servo-stabilized platforms. The 

high-resolution camera system offers powerful 

computer-controlled zoom capability, provides 

high-resolution imagery of highway infrastructure over ranges potentially up to 8 km (5 mi), 

and is capable of autonomously tracking objects 

that are moving extremely fast. The coordinating 

cameras can communicate information with each 

other about objects in their field of view every 

50 milliseconds. This means that the system can 

be tasked with identifying a particular object of 

interest appearing in one camera view and that 

information can be transmitted to all of the other 

tracking cameras. The other cameras in turn pan 

and tilt to track the car when it comes into their 

view and record details from a distance, such 

as license-plate numbers and small zoomed-in 

high-resolution objects, if required.

Faster Wireless Communications

To meet the specific needs of this system, the 

research team developed a unique communications system that is capable of transmitting information to a command center, over hybrid wireless 

and wireline networks, at wireless data rates of 

up to 1-gigabit per second. The high-bandwidth 

communications network uses Internet technologies and systems to enable transmission of multiple complex events in high-resolution video in 

a fraction of a second. As a result, personnel in 

an operations center could be provided with 

The Exploratory Advanced Research Program Fact Sheet

Enhanced Communications

Transportation infrastructures are traditionally 

monitored by cameras, often transmitting lowresolution live streaming images over dedicated 

wired networks or the Internet. A human is usually 

tasked with monitoring a poor quality feed on a 

screen that offers minimal automatic detection 

and follow-up capabilities. These video feeds are 

also transmitted to operation centers and then 

viewed on multiple screens on a rotational basis. 

Researchers for this University of Maryland project have developed an advanced high-resolution 

video system that is not only capable of transmitting real-time high-resolution camera footage 

to remote operation centers, and to anywhere on 

a network on a “pop-up” basis as traffic events 

occur, but also can autonomously record a target’s 

Cameras are used prolifically to 

monitor transportation incidents, 

infrastructure, and congestion. Traditional 

camera systems often require human 

monitoring and only offer low-resolution 

video. Researchers for the Exploratory 

Advanced Research (EAR) Program 

project, “Cooperating Camera Platforms 

for Ultra-High-Resolution Traffic Surveillance and Autonomous Event Detection,” 

have developed a system that provides 

continuous, high-resolution, real-time 

simultaneous monitoring, tracking, 

and analysis of multiple events or 

characteristics. The University of 

Maryland is conducting this research, 

which was funded by the Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA) in 2012. 
immediate detection of events and first 

responders would remain connected with 

command posts to enable remote, instantaneous, and accurate situational assessments.

Improved Accuracy

The research team developed a new method 

to extract features or events from real-time 

video using an optical-based situational 

awareness approach. This method does not 

require the use of global positioning systems 

and enables an unrivalled level of accuracy to less 

than 5 cm (2 in). To achieve this accuracy, the 

camera lenses are specifically calibrated to provide 

improved long-range accuracy, potentially targeting cars that are many kilometers away. The 

cameras are mounted to specially developed, 

high-performance gimbals that are in turn calibrated with much higher precision than commercial systems. Although there are existing algorithms 

that can instruct a camera where to point, the 

calibrated gimbals in this project can perform to 

a far higher degree of accuracy and at much 

longer ranges than traditional approaches. In 

addition, the cameras and gimbals are calibrated 

in relation to their real-world positions. This 

enables the research team to incorporate map 

overlays with real-time traffic movement superimposed to provide a bird’s eye visualization of 

feature extraction and events as they occur.

Highway Testing

The research team designed and developed a 

state-of-the-art testbed at the University of 

Maryland campus and on a local state highway. 

This setup emulates a highway monitoring system 

with deployed cameras and real-time, videobased, feature and event detection. Resulting 

information can be transmitted across campus 

and fed into an operations center in the research 

team’s laboratory. During testing, the research 

team showed that an object can be automatically 

What Is the Exploratory 

Advanced Research Program?

FHWA’s Exploratory Advanced Research 

(EAR) Program focuses on longer term, 

higher risk research with a high payoff 

potential. The program addresses underlying gaps faced by applied highway 

research programs, anticipates emerging issues with national implications, and 

reflects broad transportation industry 

goals and objectives. 

To learn more about the EAR Program, 

visit the Exploratory Advanced Research 

Web site at www.fhwa.dot.gov/advanced

research. The site features information 

on research solicitations, updates on ongoing research, links to published materials, summaries of past EAR Program 

events, and details on upcoming events. 

Coordinating High-Resolution Traffic Cameras

Developing Intelligent, Collaborating Cameras for Transportation Security and Communications

Publication No. 

FHWA-HRT-15-068

HRTM-30/08-15(WEB)E 

targeted in less than one second after it enters 

the field of view of the fixed camera and then 

successfully kept in the field of view of the 

steerable, zoomable cameras. All position, 

velocity, and identification updates are provided 

to the steerable camera in milliseconds. This 

testbed can be used for subsequent hardware, 

software, and algorithmic research, development, and evaluation.

Learn More

For more information on this project, contact 

Taylor Lochrane, FHWA Office of Operations 

Research and Development, at 202-493-3293 

(email: taylor.lochrane@dot.gov). 

Photo credit, page 1: 

University of Maryland 

Real-time video feature 

extraction.

Cameras that can cooperate 

using precise and fast 

electronic pan, tilt, and 

zoom gimbals for event 

detection.

Photo credit: University of 

Maryland