Skip to main content

PIPS helps produce new industry standard for ANPR systems

PIPS Technology has announced it has been instrumental in drafting a new industry standard UTMC (Urban Traffic Management and Control) interface for ANPR systems to overcome difficulties for technology from different systems being able to communicate with each other. For example, PIPS JTMS (Journey Time Measurement System) may not communicate all data to a traffic management system supplied by a third party, because they are designed and built in differing ways, using dissimilar software by different compan
May 1, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
202 Pips Technology has announced it has been instrumental in drafting a new industry standard UTMC (Urban Traffic Management and Control) interface for ANPR systems to overcome difficulties for technology from different systems being able to communicate with each other. For example, PIPS JTMS (Journey Time Measurement System) may not communicate all data to a traffic management system supplied by a third party, because they are designed and built in differing ways, using dissimilar software by different companies.

PIPS says it was involved in a series of discussions with the industry body, UTMC, who wanted to create a suite of open standards to allow all traffic technologies to communicate with each other, so PIPS Software Engineers drafted the UTMC interface for ANPR communications. That draft has since been approved by other companies within the industry and it is now available as a software option on PIPS P382 SpikeHD and PIPS P392 Spikelet ANPR cameras.

Since the interface has been completed, PIPS has supplied more than 40 of its UTMC Spikelet cameras to the NRA (National Roads Authority), in Ireland, for a project in conjunction with ITS Road Services and their sub-contractors, Electro Automation, one of PIPS preferred partners. This project is one of the first, if not the first, UTMC compliant JTMS that has been installed in the UK & Ireland.

The new UTMC interface on PIPS Spikelet cameras means the data from the cameras can be used with PIPS JTMS, or any UTMC compliant JTMS. This then communicates travel time estimates via an XML Web interface to the NRA’s Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS), which provides traffic information back to motorists using variable message signs (VMS) and the NRA’s traffic information web site (www.nratraffic.ie).

PIPS Technology has recently successfully won a second contract to extend the system further with another 40+ cameras through Electro Automation and ITS Road Services for the NRA.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Integrated corridor management offers transportation efficiency
    May 28, 2013
    In the Intelligent Transportation Systems world, the concept of managing roadway or transportation corridors is not new. Smart Corridor concepts have existed for some time, such as the Santa Monica Smart Corridor system from the 1990s. Across the world, a new emerging model for operating roadway transportation networks called integrated corridor management (ICM) has emerged. This is particularly true in California, where several new ICM projects have or are being deployed. There is a new paradigm for corrid
  • MAD about Vitronic in Germany
    April 30, 2025
    Vitronic has supplied two of its latest sensor columns to the project MAD Urban (Managed Automated Driving for Urban Mobility and Logistics) being set up in Braunschweig (Brunswick).
  • Slough welcomes Siemens
    December 20, 2012
    Slough Borough Council (SBC) in southern England has joined the growing number of UK local authorities to deploy the latest version of Comet, the advanced traffic management and information system from Siemens. Comet aims to enable SBC to meet its policy, operational and travel information requirements including the ability to set network strategies. The solution will provide a command and control system for strategic VMS and car park guidance and will also provide dynamic content seamlessly to SBC’s plann
  • Opinions strong on VMS application
    September 26, 2013
    The captains of the motorway squad of Issoire and Clermont l’Hérault said the signs are very legible and understandable but they would have preferred the signs to be mounted on gantries. The law forces also pointed out that the signs are situated on the plains, so the relationship with the traffic conditions in mountains is difficult to make and a reminder near the difficulties would be preferable. Local drivers rely on the signs and change their travel plans and routes accordingly while non-locals ask