Demonstrations of Direct-to-Satellite IoT for Earth Observation Applications: Remote Road Traffic Monitoring with Imaging

The escalating volume of road users and the increase on safety demands by the governmental institutions, such as the EU, highlights the need for more widespread and advanced traffic monitoring systems. Despite the emergence of traffic monitoring solutions through Earth observation techniques, persistent challenges are evident, particularly in the context of remote and rural roads. This paper presents an innovative approach, integrating ground-based imaging, in-situ Computer Vision (CV) and Direct-to-Satellite Internet of Things (DtS-IoT) for a near-real-time, cost-effective traffic monitoring solution. Focusing on current challenges, this hybrid system demonstrates to be a tailored response to the demands of remote traffic monitoring, showcasing feasibility through a proof-of-concept integrated solution.