OUR SOLUTION
Real-Time Railroad Crossing Detection and Monitoring
The Oculus Rail Rail Crossing Detection System uses solar-powered, cellular-connected sensors and AI-enabled computer vision to detect when railroad crossings are blocked and when they clear.
How the Oculus Rail Rail Crossing Detection System Works
Oculus Rail sensors are installed in the public right-of-way, adjacent to railroad crossings, providing an independent way to monitor crossing activity without connecting to railroad signaling systems or other railroad infrastructure. Each unit is solar-powered and cellular-connected, allowing it to operate as a self-contained roadside system.
Using AI-enabled computer vision, the sensor monitors trains to determine the status of the crossing. When a train enters and blocks the roadway, the system identifies the crossing as blocked. When the train clears the roadway, the system recognizes that change and updates the crossing status.
Crossing information is transmitted through an LTE cellular connection, eliminating the need for a local network connection. The system captures time-stamped data – including images of the train associated with each crossing event, including when the crossing became blocked, when it cleared, and the duration of the blockage.
That information can then be made available through the Oculus Rail dashboard, mobile application, and API, giving municipalities, transportation planners, public safety agencies, and other authorized stakeholders access to both real-time crossing status and historical crossing data.
Sensor observes train activity at the railroad crossing.
AI-enabled computer vision identifies when a train blocks or clears the roadway.
Crossing status and event data are transmitted to the cloud.
Real-time and historical crossing data are available through the dashboard, mobile application, and API.
Real-Time and Historical Railroad Crossing Intelligence
Oculus Rail turns railroad crossing activity into real-time and historical data that communities can use for traffic management, public safety, transportation planning, and infrastructure decisions. Each crossing event creates a record of the blockage, when it happened, and how long the roadway was blocked.
Real-Time Crossing Status
See whether a monitored railroad crossing is currently blocked by a train or clear, providing greater visibility into current crossing conditions.
Time-Stamped Crossing Imagery Options Available
Access time-stamped imagery associated with detected crossing events, providing additional context and verification of recorded train activity. * Additional fees may apply.
Historical Railroad Crossing Data
Analyze crossing activity over time to identify trends, compare time periods, evaluate changes in crossing conditions, and measure conditions before and after transportation or infrastructure improvements. Data is available for export.
From Railroad Crossing Data to Better Decisions
Collecting data is only useful if communities can do something with it. Oculus Rail gives agencies a clearer understanding of how railroad crossing activity affects their transportation network.
Data can help transportation planners and local governments identify crossings experiencing frequent or lengthy blockages, evaluate patterns across multiple locations, and determine where additional study or infrastructure investment may be warranted.
Historical information can also provide a baseline for measuring change. Agencies can compare crossing activity before and after infrastructure improvements, operational changes, or other transportation initiatives to better understand their impact.
For communities responding to resident concerns about blocked crossings, objective data also provides something complaints alone cannot: a documented record of what is actually happening at the crossing.
Access Railroad Crossing Data Through the Oculus Rail Dashboard
Customers can access crossing information through the Oculus Rail online dashboard, providing a central location for monitoring current conditions and reviewing historical crossing activity.
Users can examine individual monitored crossings, review activity over selected periods, identify patterns, and use crossing data for internal analysis, presentations, planning, and reporting.
For organizations that need crossing information outside the dashboard, data can also be exported or made available through the Oculus Rail API for integration with compatible transportation, GIS, traffic management, and other systems.
Who Uses Oculus Rail Crossing Monitoring?
Our rail crossing intelligence can support organizations responsible for transportation planning, public safety, infrastructure, rail operations, and mobility.
Municipalities & City Managers
Oculus Rail data can help local governments understand the frequency and duration of blocked railroad crossings, respond to resident concerns with documented information, identify problem locations, and prioritize potential transportation and infrastructure improvements. Historical crossing data can also support planning studies, funding applications, and before-and-after analysis of infrastructure investments.
Transportation Agencies & MPOs
Transportation agencies and Metropolitan Planning Organizations can use crossing data to compare conditions across multiple locations, identify recurring blockage patterns, and incorporate railroad crossing activity into regional transportation planning. Historical data can support freight studies, corridor analyses, multimodal planning, project prioritization, and evaluation of proposed transportation improvements.
Public Safety Agencies
Police, fire, EMS, and emergency management agencies can use railroad crossing information to better understand where frequent or lengthy blockages may affect emergency response. Real-time crossing status can provide greater visibility into current conditions, while historical data can help agencies identify recurring blockage patterns and incorporate railroad crossing activity into emergency response planning.
Railroads
Objective crossing data can help railroads understand how train operations interact with roadway transportation at monitored crossings. Historical crossing activity can support collaboration with municipalities and transportation agencies, infrastructure planning, and evaluation of recurring crossing conditions.
Transit Operators & Fleet Managers
Transit agencies and fleet operators can use historical blockage patterns to better understand where railroad crossings affect routes and schedules. Crossing intelligence can support route planning, schedule analysis, and evaluation of delays associated with frequently blocked crossings.