Indra implements its intelligent technology to manage Medellín's traffic and public transportation for €9 million

Indra, the top IT multinational in Spain and one of the leaders in Europe and Latin America, has become the technological leader in controlling Medellín's traffic and transportation after being awarded two contracts for the amount of €9 million to implement its intelligent systems. Indra's technology will allow Medellín to move towards the smart city model and continue with its commitment to sustainable mobility, which has led the second-largest city of Colombia to win the 2012 International Sustainable Transport Award.

The first contract, awarded by the Medellín Subway, will allow the city to have an intermodal public transportation system that is unique in Colombia and will facilitate the management and the combined use of the subway and buses. For the project, Indra is implementing an Operations Assistance System for Metroplús, the city's BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) fleet, which will be integrated with Indra's Da Vinci system that has been managing subway train traffic since 2008.

The objective is to integrate train operations with the bus system so that vehicles are handled in a unified manner, with a special emphasis on interconnection stations or links between lines. It is even planned to include future trams. As a result, it will be possible to manage the transportation system more efficiently, to provide travellers with the best quality and to promote the use of public transportation in a city where the growing number of cars has a negative impact on mobility.

Efficient management and in real time

Indra's Operations Assistance System (OAS) currently manages 20 buses, and by the end of this year, the fleet is expected to have 48 managed buses. This tool, based on location technologies (GPS), a geographic information system (GIS) and mobile communications (3.5G/GSM/GPRS), provides the control centre with real time information about the vehicles in order to improve their management and to speed up decision making in light of any incident, need for back-up, etc.

The solution includes a passenger counting system that is based on closed-circuit television (CCTV) and registers the number of passengers boarding and exiting each bus, making it possible to know the bus' occupancy in order to prevent exceeding its maximum capacity, to request back-up vehicles during demand peaks and to prepare mobility studies for this mode of transportation.

Indra is also implementing the technology for 21 Metroplús stations, consisting of an interior passenger information system that uses loudspeakers and TFT screens, as well as the access control systems that use turnstiles and validators, based on the Open Civica software developed by the company. In addition, a pilot is being carried out with 13 machines for recharging Civica smart cards (the payment method for the Subway and Metroplús).

All these technologies improve the quality of the public service and of the information offered to users, while allowing the Medellín Subway to have more knowledge of demand and of the service.

Intelligent technology for controlling urban traffic

Indra has also been awarded a contract with UNE Epm Telecommunicaciones and XM (ISA subsidiary), the companies that manage transit in the city of Medellín and which are the technological allies for implementing a new integrated traffic control system and the intelligent traffic systems (ITS) for Medellín.

The solution, based on Indra's Hermes system, will allow to continuously track traffic and to monitor the various control subsystems in real time. Collecting current and past data will also make it easier to analyse and consolidate information for making decisions related to mobility. This way, it will be possible to increase safety, optimise the flow of vehicles, shorten circulation times and reduce costs and the environmental impact.

The project, which is led by UNE, one of the largest telecommunications operators in the country and a pioneer in designing and implementing digital city solutions, including the design, implementation and start-up of closed circuit television (CCTV) systems, support systems for traffic light network plans (ARS) and variable message panels. Thanks to these systems, XM's Transit Control Centre operators will have access to a variety of traffic data, be able to view road traffic conditions at 48 strategic locations throughout the city in real time and be able to make decisions that improve mobility in these areas. On the other hand, drivers will have access to information about traffic conditions, possible incidents, congestion, etc.

Indra's solution will also be integrated with other external city systems, in which the operator UNE is also a technological partner, such as the emergency centre, the vehicle monitoring system for traffic agents of Medellín's Secretariat of Transport and Transit, the traffic light control centre, the infraction detection system and the public transportation monitoring system, among others. As a result, Medellín will have Colombia's traffic control centre with the most systems integrated in a single platform that supports decision making about mobility.

The partner XM (ISA subsidiary) has been the operator of the Colombian National Interconnected System for more than 40 years as well as the administrator of the Energy Wholesaler Market for 17 years. Its extensive experience in the energy sector makes it the most suitable company to operate the Medellín Transit Control Centre. As a result, XM, through the intelligent management of electric, transit and urban transportation systems, as well as systems that control major motorways and roads, enables proper decision making. This contributes to the system's trustworthiness and effectiveness, making operations more efficient.

Mobility makes its way towards smart cities

These Medellín projects reinforce Indra as one of the leading companies in the development and implementation of intelligent technology to manage traffic and urban public transportation, with references in countries that include China, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Morocco, Portugal, Poland and Spain.

By applying intelligent transport systems (ITS) in urban environments, cities are able to move towards the smart city model and achieve a more efficient and sustainable mobility. This contributes towards reducing traffic congestion and the resulting direct and indirect costs, minimising contaminating emissions and promoting integrated (intermodal) urban transportation services. In summary, it is a model that improves the quality of life of citizens.

Indra is the leading technology multinational in Spain and a leader in Europe and Latin America. It is the second European company in its sector in terms of R&D, with €550 million invested in the last three years. Its turnover in 2011 was €2.688 billion, and more than half of its income is currently from international markets. The company employs more than 40,000 professionals and has customers in 118 countries.