SUNY Poly’s Transportation Research AI Lab (TRAIL) team, which includes students, conducted fieldwork in collaboration with New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Region 2, capturing drone video data at a signalized intersection to support ongoing transportation safety research. This effort, recently featured in NYSDOT Region 2's newsletter, is part of a broader partnership between SUNY Poly, CUNY, and NYSDOT focused on identifying and analyzing safety-critical events, including near-misses and risky driver behaviors.

The data collected will support the development of advanced computer vision and detection algorithms capable of extracting key traffic metrics, such as turning movement counts and vehicle classifications. By leveraging these tools, the project aims to enhance the identification of potential conflicts and inform more proactive, data-driven traffic safety strategies.

This work reflects SUNY Poly’s continued commitment to advancing innovative, real-world solutions while strengthening collaboration between research, education, and industry partners. It also highlights the growing impact of TRAIL, which was founded by Assistant Professor of Transportation Engineering, Dr. Abolfazl Karimpour. TRAIL is a hub for cutting-edge research in smart transportation, safety, sustainability, and equity. Through initiatives like this, TRAIL is equipping students with hands-on experience in AI-driven transportation analysis while helping to shape safer, more resilient transportation systems for the future.