School of Computing, MATC collaborate to improve rail crossing safety using AI

Researchers from the School of Computing and Mid-America Transportation Center (MATC) are collaborating to enhance non-motorist safety at highway-rail grade crossings (HRGCs) under a $10 million USDOT grant. 

This project is a consortium led by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s (UTRGV) University Transportation Center for Railway Safety (UTCRS), involving multiple institutions, including MATC. The collaboration focuses on developing, testing, and implementing smart technologies to improve rail safety, with industry partners ensuring practical, impactful innovations. The MATC team is set to receive $750,000 over five years to enhance non-motorist safety at HRGCs. Their research, involving AI and statistical techniques, aims to develop models for non-motorist exposure and improve crash frequency models at HRGCs. 

Naveed Aman, assistant professor in the School of Computing, joins Aemal Khattak, MATC director and professor of civil and environmental engineering, as leaders of Nebraska's team, which also includes MATC postdoctroral research associate M. Umer Farooq and School of Computing graduate student Moomal Bukhari.

The project seeks to harness artificial intelligence (AI) for automating data collection from video cameras at HRGCs. The work focuses on detecting non-motorist objects and developing more precise crash prediction models. The overarching goal is to design a prototype autonomous risk mitigation system powered by the Internet of Things (IoT) and AI.