Ghanaian scholar aims to transform transportation safety
A Ghanaian scholar is making strides in transportation safety and infrastructure management, utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to address critical challenges faced by transportation systems in the United States.
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This groundbreaking work, conducted at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering in Florida, USA, promises not only to enhance safety on American roads but also holds significant potential for transforming Ghana’s infrastructure development.
As Ghana grapples with its transportation challenges, this research could offer valuable insights and solutions that may bridge the gap between aspiration and reality.
Meet Richard Boadu Antwi, a brilliant mind behind this pioneering research in geospatial engineering. A Geomatic Engineer by training, Antwi hails from Ghana and is an alumnus of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, where he laid the foundation for his contributions to the field. Currently a doctoral student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Florida State University, Antwi is leading innovative research that harnesses the power of AI and computer vision to redefine transportation data collection and analysis. While his work greatly benefits American society, its true potential lies in revolutionizing Ghana’s transportation infrastructure, offering a lifeline to enhance public safety and drive development in the emerging nation.
Antwi’s research employs AI and computer vision techniques to extract critical roadway geometry data from aerial imagery. His work, including the development of Geographic Information System (GIS) and Machine Learning (ML) models, aims to improve transportation safety and accessibility by creating efficient, accurate, and cost-effective methods for data collection.
This innovative approach addresses the limitations of traditional manual data collection, which is often dangerous, time-consuming, and prone to errors.
Antwi, along with his colleagues at Resilient Infrastructure and Disaster Response (RIDER) and the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, has introduced a groundbreaking method for inventorying road features in school zones. Utilizing advanced computer vision tools, they are replacing traditional manual methods with AI-driven techniques. Antwi credits his research's success to the mentorship and guidance of Professor Eren Erman Ozguven, a Civil and Environmental Engineering professor at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. Their work, titled *Detecting School Zones on Florida’s Public Roadways Using Aerial Images and Artificial Intelligence (AI2)*, published in *Transportation Research Record*, showcases an AI-based tool designed to collect data through aerial technology, offering a faster, more accurate, and cost-effective solution.
The study, conducted in Orange County, Florida—home to over 250 public schools and a population of about 1.42 million—utilized archived aerial imagery from the Florida Department of Transportation to map school zones. The team developed a method to identify recognizable school zone markings from high-resolution photographs. By comparing these markings with other geometric features like crosswalks, the new process efficiently identifies outdated or invisible markings, eliminating the need for manual data entry, reducing errors, and accelerating the delivery of results.
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This innovative approach significantly reduces the time, cost, and risk associated with manual surveys, addressing the limitations of traditional land-based data collection. The success of this proof-of-concept in Florida demonstrates its potential for broader application across different regions and types of roadways. By automating the data collection process, Antwi’s work enables transportation agencies to allocate resources more strategically, focusing on proactive maintenance and safety improvements rather than reactive measures. This model provides essential data for transportation agencies, facilitating more informed decision-making in roadway planning, maintenance, design, and rehabilitation.
This study underscores the importance of leveraging advanced technologies to create smarter, safer, and more efficient transportation networks, ultimately benefiting both policymakers and roadway users.