Leveraging video analytics for Smart and Safe driving

This story is sponsored by IBM

From swerving and jumping traffic signals to potholes to speed bumps, it’s all in a day’s work as the English idiom goes, when one drives on Indian roads. It is a matter of concern for all - drivers, traffic police, insurance companies and municipal authorities.

But, what if there’s a smart solution that can help fix the issue and benefit all the stakeholders? While there are several start-ups trying to solve these problems that are unique to India, LightMetrics- a Bangalore-based start-up is developing a smartphone-based tool to gather data on driving behaviour.

LightMetrics’ product gives a 360-degree view of driving behaviour by providing a visual context to driving data. Its core product is a software development kit (SDK) that has been built on IBM Bluemix™ which can be installed across mobile platforms and custom hardware.

In the West, dashcams are used to analyse warnings of traffic signs, lane departure warning systems, deviations from normal driving behaviour, etc., and thus enable drivers to have a safer ride and be more alert on the road.

LightMetrics’ cross platform and hardware-agnostic RideView SDK can be ported to dash cameras and digital video recorders to improve driving efficiency and enable a safer drive.

Once the user downloads the app, it resides as a background app and switches on automatically when it senses the movement of the vehicle. This automatically prompts sensor applications like GPS, camera, compass and accelerometer and uploads metadata about the driving on the road to the cloud.

Thus, the data is saved on the IBM cloud platform, Bluemix™ which later helps in developing a cognitive analytics solution to generate real time alerts, analytics and dashboards, that can help insurance and fleet management companies.

LightMetrics is also developing a first-of-its-kind crowdsourced potholes mapping platform for Bangalore roads which could help the local authorities repair bad roads.

Commenting on the LightMetrics-Bluemix integration, Pushkar Patwardhan,the co-founder of LightMetrics said, “At this point, Bluemix is core to our product offering. With IBM Bluemix, the development (of a product) time gets cut down as most of the things that you need for developing a product is pretty much available on Bluemix.”

“Also, we haven’t experienced any downtime because of technical issues on the cloud platform. This is a critical aspect for a start-up like us,” he added.

The RideView SDK solution improves driver engagement through effective driver coaching. It can also help in exonerating the driver in case of accidents or traffic violations.

To learn more about how start-ups in India are redefining the driving experience using cognitive technologies, signup for the IBM India Onward event.