In October of 2015 we announced that PBX Engineering Ltd. was selected by the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (BCMoTI) to design a high-tech wildlife detection system for a section of Highway 3, a major arterial route with the highest density of large Animal-Vehicle Collisions (AVCs) in BC.
PBX is proud to announce that the Wildlife Detection System (WDS) project has been successfully completed and the system is now live. The Province of British Columbia published a press release on April 20th.
This sophisticated and high-tech project is the first of its kind to integrate multiple technologies and use extensive data validation to verify performance. The Wildlife Detection System (WDS) assists in improving the safety for motorists within the project-area corridor. The system consists of a dense deployment of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) field components spaced along the highway. The typical devices required for the core functionality of the system include dynamic message signs, WDS sensors, thermal and colour cameras, and various communication devices. The system is designed to automatically detect the presence of large animals, namely deer, elk, moose, and sheep to inform drivers of potentially hazardous wildlife presence along the corridors. Upon detection of wildlife, the WDS activates advisory signs, which stay active for the duration that the wildlife is within the detection zone. When the wildlife clears the detection zone, the WDS deactivates the advisory signs. Thermal and high-definition colour video of detected wildlife is recorded and stored for future analysis and review. Extensive data collection and reporting help BCMoTI to monitor the overall performance of the system.
PBX was involved in all stages of the project, including requirements definition, technology assessment, detailed design, construction and testing.
Watch the short video below to see a motorist’s point of view on the functionality of the Wildlife Detection System.
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