Traffic measurement • OTUS3D • VisualDB
Count pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles simultaneously with Viscando OTUS3D. Multimodal traffic counting helps traffic planners understand not only how many road users pass through a location, but how different road-user classes move, interact and change over time.
Viscando combines 3D and AI sensing with VisualDB data visualization so municipalities, road authorities and transport consultants can turn complex traffic environments into objective, shareable traffic insight.
What is multimodal traffic counting?
Multimodal traffic counting means measuring several road-user types in the same traffic environment. Instead of counting only cars, cyclists or pedestrians in separate studies, a multimodal traffic sensor observes the modal mix in one location: pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles moving through the same space.
For traffic planners, this matters because streets and intersections are rarely single-mode environments. A crossing may include pedestrians, cyclists, cars, buses, delivery vehicles and turning movements at the same time. Viscando OTUS3D is designed to capture these mixed situations with 3D and AI sensing, then convert the observations into data that can be analyzed and shared.
Learn more about Viscando’s broader traffic work on the Traffic page.
Count pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles simultaneously
Viscando OTUS3D can measure pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles with one 3D and AI sensor unit. That makes the system useful in complex multimodal situations where separate manual counts or single-purpose counters can miss how road users interact.
- How many pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles pass through the location?
- Which directions and turning movements are most common?
- How does the modal mix change by time of day, season or infrastructure change?
- Where do different road-user classes meet, cross or interact?
- What evidence should be reviewed before or after a traffic-planning intervention?
From traffic counts to movement insights
Counting is often the starting point, but professional traffic planning usually needs more context than a total number of passages. Traffic engineers may need to understand speeds, directions, turning movement counts, modal mix, interaction points and how behaviour changes after a new design is introduced.
| Data signal | Planning value |
|---|---|
| Counts by road-user class | Baseline, trend and demand understanding across pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles. |
| Direction and turning movements | Evidence for flow patterns through crossings, corridors and intersections. |
| Speed and movement paths | Context for behaviour analysis and before-and-after comparisons. |
| Interactions and shared-space use | Insight into where modes overlap, slow down or create questions for planning teams. |
| Time patterns | Understanding of when demand, modal mix or pressure is most visible. |
For relevant examples and proof points, use Viscando’s Use Cases and References pages as supporting internal links once the publisher has selected the most relevant cases for this page.
Built on OTUS3D 3D and AI sensing
OTUS3D uses 3D and AI sensing to observe movement in traffic environments. The 3D approach helps the system understand depth and movement patterns, while AI supports classification and analysis of road-user activity.
Read more about the technology on 3D and AI-sensing.
Use multimodal data in real planning decisions
Multimodal traffic counting is most valuable when the data helps a planning team make or evaluate a decision. Viscando’s traffic measurements can support both short-term studies and longer-term observation, depending on the project need.
Before-and-after studies
Compare traffic patterns before and after a street redesign, cycling improvement, intersection change or temporary intervention. The purpose is to understand what changed, not to guarantee a specific result.
Intersection and crossing analysis
Study how pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles move through the same space. This can help planners identify turning movements, modal mix and interaction patterns that are hard to capture with isolated counts.
Sustainable mobility planning
Track how the balance between walking, cycling and motor traffic develops over time. This can help cities and regions follow mobility trends and communicate changes to stakeholders.
Stakeholder reporting
Use objective and visual data to support discussions between traffic planners, consultants, municipalities, road authorities and other decision-makers.
Privacy-conscious traffic data for public environments
Traffic counting in public environments must be useful without becoming intrusive. Viscando’s published Traffic material states that images are not sent or stored, but immediately transformed into numbers and graphs.
That privacy-conscious approach is important for municipalities and road authorities that need traffic evidence in public spaces. The page should preserve this trust position clearly: Viscando focuses on traffic data and movement patterns, not stored identifiable video evidence.
Analyze and share results in VisualDB
A traffic sensor becomes more valuable when the data can be interpreted and shared. VisualDB is Viscando’s data visualization layer for turning traffic measurements into trends, exports and stakeholder-friendly views.
- Review trends across road-user classes.
- Compare locations or time periods.
- Export data for further analysis.
- Share visual evidence with stakeholders.
- Connect counts, movement patterns and planning questions in one workflow.
Read more about the analysis layer on Data visualization.
When to use multimodal traffic counting
Multimodal traffic counting is especially relevant when one location includes several road-user classes and the planning question depends on how they use the same space.
- Count pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles in the same environment.
- Understand turning movements, speeds, directions and modal mix.
- Study behaviour and interaction patterns beyond raw counts.
- Evaluate an infrastructure change with before-and-after evidence.
- Create objective, visual traffic data for public-sector decision-making.
- Discuss a measurement project that requires both traffic insight and privacy-conscious data handling.
If the question is only a simple, one-off count, a narrower method may be enough. If the question involves mixed traffic, interactions, before-and-after comparisons or stakeholder communication, multimodal traffic counting gives the planning team a richer evidence base.
Talk to Viscando about your traffic measurement project
Every traffic environment is different. The right setup depends on the location, road-user classes, planning question, measurement period and reporting needs.
Talk to Viscando about your traffic measurement project and how OTUS3D, VisualDB and multimodal traffic counting can support your next planning decision.
FAQ
What is multimodal traffic counting?
Multimodal traffic counting is the measurement of several road-user types in the same traffic environment, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles. It helps planners understand the modal mix and how different users move through the same location.
Which road users can Viscando OTUS3D count?
Viscando’s Traffic material states that OTUS3D can measure pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles simultaneously. This makes it relevant for mixed traffic, intersections and public environments where several road-user classes interact.
How is multimodal traffic counting different from manual counts?
Manual counts can provide useful observations, but they are often limited by time, weather, staffing and observer subjectivity. Viscando positions OTUS3D as a way to collect objective, repeatable traffic data and connect counts with movement patterns, behaviours and interactions.
Can multimodal traffic counting support before-and-after studies?
Yes. Multimodal traffic data can help planners compare how a location functions before and after an infrastructure change, street redesign or mobility intervention. The data supports evaluation, but the page should not promise a specific safety, traffic or financial outcome.
How does Viscando handle privacy in traffic sensing?
Viscando’s published Traffic material states that images are not sent or stored, but immediately transformed into numbers and graphs. This supports privacy-conscious traffic analysis in public environments. Each deployment should still follow the customer’s legal and GDPR review process.
What happens after the sensor collects traffic data?
Traffic measurements can be analyzed and shared in VisualDB, Viscando’s data visualization layer. VisualDB supports trends, exports and stakeholder communication so traffic data can be used in planning discussions.
