AT&T and Applied Information to Bring Smart Cities Technology to U.S. School Zones

 AT&T is furthering its commitment to help build smarter cities by providing wireless connectivity to Applied Information for use in its new flashing school zone traffic system for deployment in cities and counties across the country.

The Glance School Zone Flashing Beacon system by Applied Information gives local officials a simple-to-use interface to remotely view and control the school beacons in their communities—those flashing signs that are intended to slow drivers down as they pass through school zones.

Applied Information's beacons use a cloud and web-based software system. Each beacon has its own cellular modem to handle all communication, allowing personnel to determine if the beacons are operating correctly and, if necessary, instantly alert the appropriate resources in the event of lamp or battery failures.  Additionally, officials can quickly adjust beacon schedules for weather events, special days (such as during holidays or early school closings) or in the event of an emergency.  The AT&T mobile network with its Internet of Things (IoT) platform, AT&T Control Center, is powering the wireless component of the solution.

Georgia's Gwinnett County is currently using the connected Applied Information beacons supplied by Temple, Inc. to manage the school zone traffic in its communities.  Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) is the largest school system in Georgia, with 139 schools and an estimated enrollment of 178,000 students for the 2016-2017 year.  Currently, there are 270 connected Applied Information beacons installed throughout the county. 

"The beacons from the Temple/Applied Information team have modernized the County's school zone flashing beacon system," said Tom Sever, traffic signal and ITS section engineer, Gwinnett County. "The result has been a 90% reduction in the number of calls related to operation of school zone beacons due to improved communication with each beacon. We look forward to using the Applied Information system to provide reliable service to our citizens."

"This project showed the power of 'low friction delivery' where the AT&T cell connectivity is tightly bundled with the pre-configured Applied Information field hardware and cloud software," said Bryan Mulligan, president, Applied Information. "This enabled the contractor Temple, Inc. —working in conjunction with the Gwinnett County installation team — to deliver a working system of 270 school beacons within a short 5 day installation period."

"Smart city solutions are designed to address multiple needs of a city—including public safety," said Mike Zeto, general manager and executive director, AT&T Smart Cities. "Nothing is more important than keeping our loved ones safe, especially our children. That's why we're pleased Applied Information selected us as their IoT connectivity provider. Together, we're helping create a safer environment for students who walk and bike to school."