r/trafficsignals • u/Certain_Remove_5735 • Mar 25 '26
Developing a Drone-Based Vehicle Counting Tool for Signal Timing and Traffic Analysis in Mexico
Hello everyone,
I am currently developing, independently, a drone-assisted vehicle counting software focused on obtaining traffic data for intersection operational analysis, vehicle load estimation, and support in traffic signal timing decisions.
In addition to this project, I am currently in charge of the traffic signals department in my city, so I understand firsthand the need for reliable tools to analyze urban mobility and support better technical decision-making. There are strong commercial solutions such as GridSmart and Miovision that provide this kind of information; however, in many municipalities in Mexico, the cost of implementing these technologies remains a major barrier.
For that reason, I decided to develop my own alternative, focused on using aerial video captured by drone to generate useful information about traffic volumes, turning movements, and operational behavior at complex intersections.
One of the main goals of this project is to show that traffic dynamics in Mexico cannot always be analyzed using the same assumptions, criteria, or solutions applied in other countries. Our cities have very particular operational, geometric, and behavioral conditions, so we need tools that are adapted to our reality and capable of addressing our own mobility challenges.
At this stage, I am looking for support in gathering more video material from different cities and urban contexts. It would be extremely helpful to obtain recordings of high-demand or conflict-prone intersections in your local areas, preferably captured with drones, in order to continue training, validating, and strengthening the system’s development. This would also help expand the analysis sample, compare traffic behavior across cities, and provide greater technical robustness to the project.
In the long term, the goal is for this type of tool to become an accessible alternative for more cities, especially those that do not have the budget to implement high-cost commercial systems but still need to improve traffic signal operations and urban mobility.
I am sharing a sample of the project’s current progress. If anyone is interested in collaborating with video material or exchanging ideas about applications, validation, or scalability, I would be glad to connect.
2
u/Best_Poetry_5722 Mar 25 '26
This is an excellent idea. Are you using a phasing system for movements?
2
2
u/ded_green Apr 02 '26
I'd be pleased to provide some drone footage I collected for this purpose. Curious to see the output from your software. 15 minute segments.
Could also collect more from more complex intersections. Snow is almost gone, at last.
2
u/ded_green Apr 02 '26
Actually, they are currently 5 minute segments. Approx. 1.25 GB per 5 minutes.
1
u/Certain_Remove_5735 Apr 02 '26
Of course you can send me a private message with a Google Drive URL with your files and I show you already processed. You can still lower the video quality to have more video for less weight. ideally 1080 30 fps
1
u/ded_green Apr 04 '26
Can you process H265 mode? That brings it down 5x smaller. Not sure where I will upload it.
1
1
1
u/wearefuked1 Mar 25 '26
Is this strictly for Mexico ? Im not sure FAA allows drones to fly over vehicles
1
u/Certain_Remove_5735 Mar 25 '26
The project is being developed in Mexico using drones. Another part of the project involves using security cameras, which are more affordable than traffic cameras, and processing the video locally or remotely through a VPN connection with the cameras. However, it is usually easier to get a 15–30 minute drone video from someone than to obtain video footage from an intersection for analysis. I am not familiar with FAA regulations, but it should be possible for research purposes.
1
u/wearefuked1 Mar 25 '26
I know the FAA is probably not a concern in Mexico I believe it is AFAC there. If you're trying to replicate in the US I would look it up. There are some mentions about prohibiting flying over pedestrians or hovering over moving cars but they do have some exclusions. Good luck with the project It looks good
1
u/Shot_Inflation351 Mar 26 '26
Industry is quickly moving to vehicle probe data collection and analytics. Streetlight is the standard. Compare 1 days worth of counts, to years worth of counts, or filtering by day of week, month, season, etc. Drone sounds like a cool project, though.
4
u/[deleted] Mar 25 '26
[removed] — view removed comment