Traffic Signage Quality Recognition

Our first AI projects, in 2005 and 2007. At a time when computer vision was primarily a research topic, we developed two pilot projects for the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Slovenia for the automatic recognition of traffic signage in a real-world environment.

Client: Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Slovenia
Technology: computer vision
Year: 2005 (vertical signage) and 2007 (horizontal signage)

The goal was to verify whether computer vision technologies could shorten and simplify the procedures for field maintenance of traffic infrastructure. In the first project in 2005, we implemented recognition of vertical signage (certain types of traffic signs), and in the second project in 2007, horizontal signage (pedestrian crossings).

The projects practically demonstrated the usefulness of the technology and, at the same time, clearly showed its limitations at that time when applying the technology in real-world conditions. In other words, the most advanced recognition methods at that time were still very sensitive to road conditions, e.g. glare and reflections in wet weather, dark shadows in summer, etc.

Effects:

• Proven value and simultaneous limitations of computer vision in a specific use case.
• Clearly defined potential for shortening and simplifying infrastructure maintenance procedures.