Real-time IoT Urban Road Traffic Data Monitoring using LoRaWAN

Inductive loop detection (ILD) systems have been used extensively within cities as an effective and reliable method of monitoring road traffic conditions through the detection and counting of vehicles. However, the existing ILDs systems suffer from numerous issues, including the complexity of integration with other technologies, high equipment cost and tedious management and maintenance processes. Next-generation traffic monitoring systems need to be future proof and flexible, capable of adapting to any surface or road condition, in addition to maintaining the accuracy offered by existing solutions. Improving upon the concept of standard inductive loop technology used in existing traffic detection and monitoring will be a significant step forward in achieving smarter uncongested cities. This paper presents an innovative, effective and reliable end-to-end inductive loop monitoring solution using a low-cost dual-loop detection board integrated with low power wide area network (LPWAN) connectivity technology. The proposed solution has proven its robustness, accuracy and simplicity over the existing solution in initial experimentation, providing a real-time view of road conditions at low operational and capital expense, and comparatively trivial management.