Seeing the Unseen: Redefining ITS Safety and Incident Prevention with Thermal Imaging
In the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) sector, the ultimate metric of success is not a headline-making emergency response- it is preventing an initial anomaly from escalating into a disaster.
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From preventing catastrophic fires in underground infrastructure to helping municipalities optimize complex intersections, Teledyne Flir has established itself as a deeply cemented pillar of transport safety. Following its acquisition of traffic technology pioneer Traficon, Teledyne Flir’s incident-detection technology—encompassing thermal imaging, video analytics, and advanced detection systems—is now deployed in more than 4,000 tunnels worldwide.
In a recent comprehensive interview with Zag Daily, Stefaan Pinck, Vice President of Global Business Development at Teledyne Flir, outlined how advances in sensing and analytics are fundamentally changing how operators manage traffic, protect vulnerable road users, and prepare for a connected, autonomous future.
The Turning Point in Tunnel Safety
The imperative for rapid incident detection inside tunnels was tragically underscored in the late 1990s by the Mont Blanc tunnel fire, which claimed 39 lives. This event served as a catalyst for the industry, shifting the focus of video analytics toward automatic incident detection designed to prevent secondary accidents.
“The objective is not only to detect incidents but also to prevent secondary accidents,” explains Pinck. “If an incident is detected quickly, operators can close the tunnel, activate warning signs and alert approaching drivers before they enter a dangerous situation.”
Today, while stopped vehicles, accidents, and objects on the roadway remain the most common incidents operators monitor—with pedestrians and wrong-way drivers presenting additional, critical safety concerns—fire detection remains the most vital application.
The Thermal Advantage: Seconds Save Lives
In the harsh, enclosed environment of a tunnel, conventional cameras and traditional fire detection systems often fall short. Traditional linear heat detection can take several minutes to trigger an alarm—a delay that allows fires to grow beyond the point of effective intervention and causes severe structural damage.
Thermal imaging bypasses these limitations. By detecting heat emitted by objects rather than relying on visible light, thermal cameras operate flawlessly in total darkness, glaring light, and heavy smoke.
“Our systems can typically detect a fire within 10 to 15 seconds,” Pinck notes. Early detection grants operators the crucial window needed to warn drivers, halt incoming traffic, and deploy emergency services before conditions deteriorate.
Elevating the Intersection
Beyond subterranean environments, Teledyne Flir’s analytics are transforming above-ground traffic management. Originally utilized simply to replace inductive loops for basic vehicle presence, modern sensors now generate rich, three-dimensional tracking data.
Current systems can classify and track the real-time position, speed, and direction of pedestrians, cyclists, e-scooter riders, cars, and heavy transport. This allows traffic signal controllers to make highly contextual decisions. For instance, rather than forcing a heavy goods vehicle to stop, intelligent systems can hold a green light—improving traffic flow while simultaneously reducing the elevated emissions and fuel consumption caused by large vehicles stopping and starting.
Protecting Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs)
When adverse conditions like poor weather, deep shadows, or inconsistent street lighting make pedestrians and cyclists invisible to both drivers and visual-light cameras, thermal imaging provides an uncompromised line of sight.
As the industry moves toward vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, infrastructure-based sensing will become the ultimate safety net. While connected vehicles will increasingly broadcast their own positions, vulnerable road users cannot be expected to carry connected devices or maintain mobile phone batteries just to ensure their own safety.
“From a public policy perspective, safety systems must protect everyone, not only those who own specific devices,” says Pinck to Zag Daily. “That is where infrastructure becomes essential. It acts as an independent source of environmental awareness.”
Purpose-Built for the Environment
Because transport infrastructure presents unique operational extremes, Teledyne Flir designs both its hardware and analytics in-house. Tunnel systems are ruggedized against corrosive environments, water ingress, and intensive cleaning regimens.
Conversely, Teledyne Flir’s traffic sensors feature a compact, ball-shaped design. Originally conceived by the founder to be visually unobtrusive and mitigate public privacy concerns by avoiding a "surveillance" look, the design yields massive operational benefits. The aerodynamic shape sheds wind during storms, keeps lenses clean via airflow, prevents snow accumulation, and even stops spiders from building webs across the lens.
Ultimately, whether deployed at a bustling intersection or deep within a mountain tunnel, the technology serves a singular purpose: proactive mitigation.
"Success is measured by the tunnel incidents that don’t happen rather than the incidents that make headlines." — Stefaan Pinck
