Hexagon helps Chattanooga improve road safety

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., 5 January 2023

Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division announced the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) has selected HxGN Connect, Hexagon’s real-time incident center as a service, to support a research project for better understanding, predicting and responding to traffic accidents within Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the surrounding area. Using a machine learning-based model, multisensory data and HxGN Connect, researchers and government organizations can analyze and visualize past accidents and patterns, predict future roadway crashes and coordinate resources to mitigate impacts.

UTC’s Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP) is leading the project with the goal to study traffic incidents to see when and where they are happening and identify related variables. Based on this information, CUIP has developed a predictive model that provides a 24-hour forecast that can be used to inform resource planning and deployment. HxGN Connect serves as a conduit for data sharing and collaboration among the involved organizations across the city – from emergency services to the department of transportation – enabling each entity to access the model, see the results and plan ahead.

“Our ultimate goal is reducing response times to traffic incidents and creating safer roadways,” said Austin Harris, who manages the Smart City and Connected Vehicle testbed for CUIP. “HxGN Connect allows us to provide that data in a way where multiple entities can collaborate in real-time, with full situational awareness. It has allowed us to really focus on the research, which we know will have a meaningful impact on the people of Chattanooga and Hamilton County.”

Within HxGN Connect, each organization can view the predictive model and use tools to chat, video conference or create channels for particularly dangerous intersections to plan actions. The objective is to make those intersections much safer for the traveling public.

“Hexagon is proud to partner with UTC as they work to improve road safety in the City of Chattanooga,” said Kalyn Sims, chief technology officer for safety and security, Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division. “HxGN Connect is a unique solution that enables disparate organizations to collaborate, and this project is a great example of turning shared information into actionable results that will improve quality of life for residents.”

Learn more about HxGN Connect and UTC’s Center for Urban Informatics and Progress.

Hexagon is a global leader in digital reality solutions, combining sensor, software and autonomous technologies. We are putting data to work to boost efficiency, productivity, quality and safety across industrial, manufacturing, infrastructure, public sector, and mobility applications.

Our technologies are shaping production and people-related ecosystems to become increasingly connected and autonomous – ensuring a scalable, sustainable future.

Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division improves the resilience and sustainability of the world’s critical services and infrastructure. Our solutions turn complex data about people, places and assets into meaningful information and capabilities for better, faster decision-making in public safety, utilities, defense, transportation and government.

Hexagon (Nasdaq Stockholm: HEXA B) has approximately 24,500 employees in 50 countries and net sales of approximately 5.4bn EUR. Learn more at hexagon.com and follow us @HexagonAB.