The department is also focusing on communicating traffic restrictions and diversions to citizens in a simpler manner. Information about parking, one-way roads, road closures and pedestrian movement will be shared through videos and other digital platforms.As Pune prepares for Ganeshotsav, the traffic police have said they will use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to identify congestion-prone areas and decide where personnel need to be deployed during the festival.The Traffic Control Branch will use an AI-based platform, Trafficure, from the first day of the festival to track traffic patterns, predict congestion and help officers redeploy personnel based on the situation on the ground. Daily analysis generated by the platform will also be shared with citizens, Additional Commissioner of Police Manoj Patil told The Indian Express. “We will be observing Trafficure from day one. It is an AI-based platform which gives predictions. We will have daily analytical reports on jamming and congestion, including which areas face problems and at what time,” Patil said.The reports will be made available through the traffic police’s communication platforms and the phone-based application. They will include information on the day’s traffic conditions as well as predictions for the following day. The system is expected to be particularly useful during Ganeshotsav, when traffic patterns change frequently because of processions, road closures, diversions, parking restrictions and immersion-related movement.Patil said the data would help the department move away from a fixed deployment model, where personnel are assigned to junctions in advance regardless of the traffic situation. “Deployment should be at places where there was congestion the day prior. The AI-based app will help us with that data,” he said. The traffic police currently have around 1,100 personnel. Locally available manpower from police stations will also be deployed during the festival. Officials said the AI-generated data would help them make better use of the available personnel, particularly at locations where congestion develops unexpectedly.The department is also focusing on communicating traffic restrictions and diversions to citizens in a simpler manner. Information about parking, one-way roads, road closures and pedestrian movement will be shared through videos and other digital platforms.A similar approach was used during this year’s Ashashi Wari, when the traffic police released short videos explaining road closures, diversions and how traffic would move through different areas. According to Patil, this led to a sharp rise in visits to the department’s diversion website, diversion.punepolice.gov.in. The website, which has been operational for about a decade, had recorded a peak of around 25 lakh hits over an earlier eight-year period. During this year’s Wari, it recorded around 2.07 crore hits, Patil said.For Ganeshotsav, the department plans to provide sector-wise information on traffic restrictions and diversions using a similar format. The AI platform will also generate data that can be used for future traffic planning. Officials will compare the congestion predicted by the system with the actual situation on the roads to assess its accuracy and usefulness. The experiment will be closely watched during the latter part of the festival, when immersion processions and related restrictions can keep traffic arrangements in flux for several days. For the traffic police, the objective is not to replace personnel on the roads but to use available manpower more efficiently by directing it to locations where it is most needed. Sushant Kulkarni is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express in Pune with 12+ years of experience covering issues related to Crime, Defence, Internal Security and Courts. He has been associated with the Indian Express since July 2010. Sushant has extensively reported on law and order issues of Pune and surrounding area, Cyber crime, narcotics trade and terrorism. His coverage in the Defence beat includes operational aspects of the three services, the defence research and development and issues related to key defence establishments. He has covered several sensitive cases in the courts at Pune. Sushant is an avid photographer, plays harmonica and loves cooking. ... Read MoreClick here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our storiesTags:artificial intelligencepune