Application support webinar on 21 November, 14:00 – 15:30
This webinar will cover the background to the programme, the challenges it is aiming to address, how the programme will benefit SMEs, guidance on how to apply and information on the application process. Register now.
Challenge areas
1: Gathering data about hazards on roads
This challenge includes all technologies outside of National Highways existing radar solutions which contribute to identifying and gathering data on hazards on roads. The goal is to layer several detection technologies together to increase the overall performance of the system. Example solution areas could include CCTV data analytics, satellite data and in-car data (including GPS, vehicle sensors, driver-reported data etc.).
2: Streamlining hazard responses
This challenge aims to streamline and accelerate the best response to a hazard, including automatically notifying drivers, automated responses to and clean-up of hazards, and notification of appropriate professionals (e.g., traffic officers) when needed. The ultimate goal is to develop an end-to-end system optimised to respond quickly and accurately to hazards being addressed through this programme.
3: Improving driver notification of hazards
This challenge aims to improve the notification of drivers once a hazard is identified or to ensure that road users are made aware of its presence and how to respond to it (including if they are distracted, for example). Solution areas may include signs and signals, radio notifications, satnav notifications and integration and any other method. The goal is to ensure that both planned and unplanned hazards are easy to understand and safely navigate around for road users.
4: Improving testing of hazard detection technology
The goal of this challenge is to quickly, cost effectively and accurately assess the performance of any hazard detection technology. This may take place in a real or simulated environment (e.g. a game engine) and may contribute to assessing the real-world performance of the technology, de-risking rolling out software updates, and making credible performance data available to those who need it. Another area of focus for this challenge is to generate datasets on hazard detection performance which could later be used for AI/ML applications.
5: Influencing drivers to reduce unsafe behaviour
The goal of this challenge is to reduce unsafe behaviour from drivers as much as is feasible by encouraging safe, legal driving. Although the majority of drivers comply with the law and drive safely, there are still some drivers who act unsafely, for example holding and using mobile phones. The goal is to identify and accelerate any innovations which could reduce this or other types of unsafe behaviour.