Bengaluru Traffic Police Leads with Technology; Launches BTM ASTraM App
The Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) has introduced a new mobile app, BTP ASTraM, which they describe as a 'one-stop solution for all commuter needs'. The app allows users to report traffic violations and accidents, check and pay traffic fines, and receive real-time traffic updates. Additionally, it features an SOS emergency button to summon help from the nearest police personnel.
In January 2024, the BTP launched its big data platform, Actionable Intelligence for Sustainable Traffic Management (ASTraM). The platform aggregates data from 9,000 police cameras across the city, cab aggregators, mapping services, and public transport utilities, offering real-time traffic insights and predictive analysis based on historical data.
“Now, the BTP ASTraM app will provide the benefits of this big data platform to commuters of the city. Commuters get real-time updates of traffic congestion, events like traffic diversions, and vehicle breakdowns that will affect their commute within a 5-km radius from their location. Commuters can also subscribe to the My Routes feature in the app, where their daily commute routes from home to office and return will be saved and real-time alerts about traffic situations on this route will be triggered to their mobiles,” M.N. Anucheth, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Bengaluru, said.
To this platform, the BTP have integrated other features that were available on other apps or only on their website to make BTP ASTraM the only app that commuters need to download henceforth. “We have integrated the Public Eye feature, where commuters used to report traffic rule violations. Now, on the ASTraM app, commuters can report accidents and violations. Not only that, commuters can check for the traffic fines levied on their vehicles and pay them on the same app”, Mr. Anucheth said.
The BTP has also embarked on an ambitious project to create a digital twin of the entire city’s real-time traffic scenario, which Mr. Anucheth said, should be ready by March 2025. A digital twin is a virtual model of a system that is simulated with real-time data to predict the behavior of its real-world counterpart.
“For the first time, an attempt is being made to create a digital twin of a city as big as Bengaluru with such heavy traffic. Earlier, such attempts have been made to make digital twins for traffic of smaller European cities. As of now, we have successfully created a digital twin for the city’s traffic. But we are working with Namma Metro and Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to overlay their data to the existing model. Imagine, there is a big concert at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC). Then if we have the data for metro ridership, we can alert BMTC to deploy more feeder buses, apart from the simulation guiding our own arrangements”, Mr. Anucheth said.