The city of Gainesville, Florida, the University of Florida (UF) (Gainesville, Florida) and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) (Tallahassee, Florida) recently announced a partnership to develop a “smart testbed” for new and evolving advanced transportation technologies and equipment.
Advanced technologies such as connected and autonomous vehicles, smart devices, and sensors will be tested on the UF campus and surrounding highway network.
Goals for the testbed include improving mobility and safety on the UF campus and around Gainesville; to facilitate the incorporation of UF-invented technologies; to quantify how people engage with automated vehicles; to collaborate with businesses to test and enhance their own technologies; and to become a national and international model for the use of technology to enhance transportation.
“We are very excited to be working with our long-time partners, FDOT and the city of Gainesville, as well as UF administration in the development and use of advanced technologies on our campus,” says Lily Elefteriadou, Ph.D., lead researcher and director of the UF Transportation Institute (UFTI) and a civil engineering professor at the school. “UF is an ideal location for such testing, as speeds are relatively low, there are lots of pedestrians, extensive bicycle facilities, scooters, and mopeds, and one of the most heavily-used transit systems in Florida.”
This will be the first such program in Florida to involve a city, university, and a state DOT. It will also involve industry partnerships to facilitate the development and operation of the testbed, according to the partners.
“As changes in technology and infrastructure shape new opportunities for cities, we are excited to join this unique partnership and look forward to pursuing new approaches that will benefit our community and residents,” says Teresa Scott, public works director for the city.
FDOT is funding the beginning research effort of the initiative. UF’s officials with the UFTI say they are currently reviewing literature and other testbed applications around the world before setting an official date to begin local tests of new transportation technologies.