Intelligent transportation systems developer Traffiko is in the throes of an ambitious business development drive targeting North America and Europe to build on its UK, Australia and Gulf client portfolio.

Our technology detects the shape of the vehicle before it is driven over a weighbridge

A spin-off from Maltese company Charonite, Traffiko develops Web-based interfaces for all types of transportation through its Malta-based research and development, and intellectual property functions.

The solutions are developed by an eight-member team of gifted IT and science graduates. They are supported by15 people in sales, support and other functions, together with Traffiko’s partners abroad.

Traffiko’s international business flourished after its first major project – the design and delivery of the integrated solution controlling vehicular access to Valletta in 2007. It still has shares in CVA Technology Ltd.

“Our vision is to constantly innovate, and provide an element of intelligence to transport on land, sea, aviation and space,” co-founder Angelo Dalli told The Sunday Times.

“We have an ambitious export drive. We work through a growing network of system integrators overseas on business-to-business sales.

“We are looking to place more sales functions in Malta. Europe, North America and Australia are our preferred target markets.”

Traffiko’s competitive advantage is its entirely Maltese development team with its expertise in image processing and parallel computing, including specialisation in graphics card technology. This expertise has enabled the company to take part in EU projects in computer vision applications. It is now looking into tracking using GPS and Galileo, the EU initiative for a global satellite navigation system involving 30 satellites and ground infrastructure.

Its product portfolio includes solutions for access and parking control, enforcement, traffic analysis, payment kiosk systems, traffic junction safety, crowd analysis, journey analysis, parking analysis, and visitor pattern studies for business intelligence purposes.

Thanks to funding under an ERDF programme granted through Malta Enterprise, Traffiko undertook two EU projects in Malta using the Intelligent Digital Traffic Enforcement System. It successfully ran a pilot project to track vehicles in London.

The company is venturing into maritime research with systems for yacht tracking following the development of an aviation project to detect maritime movements. Its was involved in an EU project with Air France to monitor servicing sequen­ces and increase safety on airfields.

Traffiko recently developed technology for multiple-target speed cameras, enabling the speed detection of numerous vehicles travelling in different directions in several lanes. The technology was highly praised at the global traffic trade event Intertaffic Amsterdam last March, which Traffiko took part in.

The company opened a sales office and subsidiary in Marlow, outside London, in 2009, where a team of six conduct international marketing and identify new trends in traffic management. UK Trade and Investment, the body which facilitates internationalisation, soon named Traffiko as a “company of exceptional potential” in its Global Entrepreneurship Programme.

Traffiko has won several major projects in the UK. Later in 2009, it delivered a parking solution for Aberdeen’s £250 million (€309m) Union Square mall. It was also entrusted with developing a system for Andover, one of the UK’s busiest traffic interchanges used by 60 million vehicles a year.

Now it has won the tender to delivery an access control and security system for Hinkley Point nuclear power plant near Bridgwater in Somerset, where protests relating to its expansion were staged late last year.

“More than 40 million traffic routing decisions occur at Andover every year,” Dr Dalli explained.

“To help ensure heavy vehicles do not enter the nearby village core, our technology detects the shape of the vehicle before it is driven over a weighbridge. According to the information fed by the weighbridge, traffic lights are configured to direct heavy vehicles to a particular lane and route them to a bypass outside the village core.”

Traffiko is also developing innovative technology that allows traffic light controlled junctions to be monitored constantly via automated intelligent cameras, increasing safety for motorists and pedestrians.

Systems relating to car park management and peripheral security were deployed at Abu Dhabi International Airport’s new Terminal 3, and at a number of sites in Sydney and Melbourne.

Dr Dalli said Traffiko was now showcasing the successful application of these technologies and the expertise behind them to potential new partners in Australia and the US to grow the business’s footprint.

The company recently signed an exclusive agreement with CVA Technology Ltd to market and represent its on-street traffic products in Malta.

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