Designed to alert drivers when schoolchildren are present, especially in low-visibility conditions, school-zone flasher signals are typically updated manually at each school. The switching is based on the school calendar and manually changed when an unexpected early dismissal occurs, as in the case of a weather-event altering the normal schedule. The process to reprogram the flashers requires a significant effort by school district personnel to implement due to the large number of warning flashers installed across an entire school district.
RTC Manufacturing, a provider of school zone safety equipment, utilised the power of an IoT platform and network capabilities to provide remote connectivity to schoolzone warning flashers for enhanced student safety. The IoT solution enables remote, two-way communications between the school district’s central traffic office and an embedded electronic device in the flasher signal signs. In the event of an early dismissal, the flasher schedule can be changed very efficiently across the entire school district with one simple update. This improvement saves a significant amount of time and frees administration personnel to assist students as they enter and exit the school safely
RTC integrated the secure cellular network, as well as its embedded cellular module, allowing each flasher panel to communicate wirelessly. Advanced IoT platform capabilities allows the schools to receive text or email alerts informing them when a bulb burns out or when the battery is failing. These real-time updates enable technicians to be dispatched for repair before any students or administrators are put at risk.
