An intelligent road monitoring system, which can identify vehicle breakdowns, monitor traffic congestion and manage traffic light systems, was demonstrated by researchers from National ICT Australia this week.
In order to watch video content you need to enable javascript and install Flash player version 8 or above.
At NICTA's annual Techfest exhibition, which was held in Melbourne on Monday, the Smart Transport and Roads (STaR) project was showing off its traffic management system that could one day be used to help reduce congestion and pollution while extending the life of the road infrastructure.
In this 3:46 minute video, STaR's project manager, Geoff Goeldner, explains how the system could save billions of dollars in wasted fuel and productivity.
Goeldner told ZDNet Australia that NICTA is working closely with the the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) to develop the system.
"I have seen estimates of some billions of dollars being wasted in traffic congestion. What we are trying to do with this system is to carve off a significant slice of those billions of dollars.
"Our aim is to extend the life of the roads that we have. We have the opportunity to extend the investment that has been made in the roads in Sydney and Melbourne.
"We have had a lot of interest ... from both government and private enterprise," said Goeldner.
Munir Kotadia travelled to Melbourne as a guest of NICTA.
Eds note: Other NICTA video interviews include:
Has your journalist ever heard of SCATs - RTA developed it for Syd Olympics and sells it OS and locally!
How does this differ?