GridMatrix and HDR will partner with MetroPlan Orlando and Seminole County to use artificial intelligence in traffic management.
The companies and the metropolitan planning organization will work together on a pilot in Seminole County to overlay AI over traffic camera feeds. The tech will use the existing cameras to track signal performance, congestion and accidents in real time.
Omaha, Nebraska-based HDR will use the data to track near-miss collisions as a part of an effort to help MetroPlan Orlando reduce danger and help commuters have a better experience. That will include generating findings to improve safety.
"By combining our expertise in AI and machine learning with HDR's engineering prowess, we will revolutionize traffic management in metro Orlando," Nicholas D'Andre, CEO of GridMatrix, said in a prepared statement. "With clear near-miss and dangerous interaction safety data from our software in hand, HDR can work with Seminole County to identify actions in support of the Vision Zero Central Florida initiative to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries and improve roadway throughput."
Executives with San Francisco-based GridMatrix and HDR were not immediately available for comment.
In Smart Growth America's most recent Dangerous By Design data through 2022, metro Orlando ranked as the 18th most dangerous place for pedestrian fatalities, down from being the eighth deadliest through 2020.
Of note, the report said the largest metros in the U.S. have gotten more dangerous over more than a decade. There were eight large metro areas with a pedestrian fatality rate of more than 2 per 100,000 people in 2009, which grew to 18 per 100,000 people in 2014 and 47 per 100,000 people in the most recent report.
"This means that just because a metro area is ranked lower [among most dangerous places for pedestrian fatalities] than in years prior, it’s not necessarily any less deadly than before — it’s just that other metros have had bigger increases," the report stated.
Orlando's rate of 2.86 fatalities per 100,000, which led the 2009 report, would not crack the top 20 in the latest report.
Sign up for the Business Journal’s free morning and afternoon daily newsletters to receive the latest business news affecting Orlando. Download the free OBJ app for breaking news alerts on your phone.
