SMARTiC is a digital picture of the transport system and its infrastructure. It brings together everything you know about your roads, what is happening on them right now, and what happened before. Ins
SMARTiC is an open platform for cities, regions and state organisations. It links information on infrastructure, current traffic and historical trends and turns it into a reliable basis for decisions. It is modular, so you start with what you need now and add more later.
Traffic signals, junctions, public transport and parking under one roof. Dispatchers see the same picture and step in before the city grinds to a halt.
A clear view of what you have on your roads, what condition it is in and where the traffic flows. You can back every investment with numbers.
We help keep motorways and first-class roads running and organise the traffic on them. We pass data on through the National Access Point (NAP).
Sound familiar?
You have the data. It’s just in too many places.
Road records in one system, dispatch in another, statistics in spreadsheets. When something happens, you piece the situation together from phone calls and several screens. And you still have to justify every investment.
They are the foundation of the whole platform. Only when you connect them do you get a complete basis for decisions.
What you manage + whats happening + what happened = what to do next
How it works
It doesn’t just show. It also advises.
SMARTiC predicts risky traffic situations. It draws on data from more than 70,000 vehicles and from roadside sensors. It tests scenarios and proposes to the dispatcher how to adjust, for example, the signal plans at junctions. But the decision always stays with a person.
How it works
What you gain
And traffic won’t keep you stuck at work at the weekend.
When traffic density exceeds a set threshold, the system lowers the speed limit. As long as the queue keeps moving, however slowly, the section stays passable. The real problem starts the moment the first car stops.
We want to use the same tool to prevent jams on roads into and out of cities at rush hour, or at least to delay them for as long as possible.
institutions receive data
vehicles send data about traffic
coverage of the Czech motorway network
From a national traffic centre to a city dispatch centre and motorways.
State organisation · since 2008
ŘSD – National Traffic Information Centre (NDIC), Ostrava
Challenge
ŘSD needed one central dispatch centre for its whole network: motorways, expressways and first-class roads. One place where data from detectors, emergency services and other sources comes together and turns into verified traffic information.
Solution
In 2008 we supplied all the technical equipment for the newly created NDIC and developed its control system. During the later upgrade we moved it to an open architecture: it is modular, scalable and also accepts modules from other suppliers.
Benefits
Verified information for traffic management, road maintenance and in-car dynamic navigation. The system itself controls variable message signs on motorways using predefined scenarios. Thanks to its openness, ŘSD can also put maintenance out to tender, while we remain its service partner.
City · 2023
DIŘC – Traffic Information and Control Centre, České Budějovice
Three dispatch centres. One room. One picture.
Challenge
The public transport company, trolleybus power supply and traffic information each had their own dispatch centre. Each saw only its own piece of the city.
Solution
A shared centre delivered turnkey: a rebuilt floor, a server room, backup power and a control system based on the SMARTiC platform.
Benefits
Up to four dispatchers per shift look at the same picture. SMARTiC predicts risky situations and proposes changes to signal plans.
Motorways · ŘSD · pilot operation 2022
Mobile line traffic control (MLŘD)
Challenge
Queues build up at roadworks on motorways. ŘSD needed to calm traffic ahead of the roadworks and warn drivers in time.
Solution
Six mobile sets, complete hardware and software. Sensors up to several kilometres ahead of the roadworks measure the speed, number and length of vehicles. The algorithm assesses the situation on its own and adjusts the variable signs.
Benefits
Smoother, calmer traffic through the roadworks. The system lowers the speed limit, warns of queues ahead or sends traffic onto a diversion. Used, for example, on the D11 into Prague, on the D0 and on the D5.
The shared DIŘC control centre we built for the city, turnkey.
SMARTiC exchanges data with other systems using international standards, so you are not tied to one manufacturer’s closed interface.
The European format for exchanging traffic data, also used to deliver data to the NAP.
A common way to describe a traffic event and where it happened.
Traffic information straight to sat navs and car radios.
An open link between the control centre and junction controllers from different manufacturers.
The EU directive on intelligent transport systems sets out who must make which data available through the National Access Point (NAP). Making data available does not mean publishing it. The obligations are phased in until the end of 2028, depending on the type of data and the roads concerned. From 31 Dec 2026 they cover, for example, road and lane closures and roadworks on the whole TEN-T network, and reduced visibility and exceptional weather conditions. SMARTiC prepares the data and delivers it in the right format.
Obligations are phased in 2025–2028
Answers to the most common questions about SMARTiC
An open, modular platform that helps cities, regions and road authorities manage traffic and keep roads running. It links information on infrastructure, current traffic and historical trends and turns it into a reliable basis for decisions.
No. You start with one module, and it works on its own. You add more when you need them.
No. SMARTiC is an open platform with standard interfaces. You can also connect modules and devices from other manufacturers.
You do. SMARTiC keeps your data separate from individual applications, so you keep long-term control over it even when those applications change.
Yes. Besides fixed detectors, it uses data from more than 70,000 vehicles that show how smoothly traffic is flowing.
Licences depend on the modules you use and the size of your network, not on the number of workstations.
Yes. We will gladly go through what you need and advise you on how to describe it in the tender documentation.
We are an IT company, and we have understood transport for over 30 years.
Michal Holoubek
Product Manager, VARS
michal.holoubek@vars.cz
+420 515 514 111
VARS BRNO a.s.
Kroftova 3167/80c, 616 00 Brno
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