TDC Ultra Hand-held Traffic Data Collectors -
Traffic Engineering in the Palm of Your Hand
An increasingly popular way to do turning movements and other traffic studies is to video record the location in question then
later count the traffic while watching the video playback. The new Video Mode selection of the TDC Ultra is designed to let you
do this in an efficient manner.
By using the special Video Mode now available you can compress (or extend) the time needed to do a count by running the
video faster (or slower) than real time. You can also take breaks during your counting without disrupting how the data is stored.
This is accomplished by giving you control over the data interval timing, rather than having it be controlled strictly by the Ultra’s
interval clock, as was the case in earlier versions of the Ultra’s firmware. You can now hit a key combination on the Ultra to
immediately advance to the next time interval and continue counting without having to wait for the clock to count down.
With the Video mode you can complete a study in a fraction of the time it would take to do it in real time.
In addition to standard turning movement studies, the Video Mode of the Ultra also supports Roundabout, Vehicle Classification and Multi-direction
Gap studies. All studies can be processed with JAMAR’s PETRAPro software.
Traffic Engineering in the Palm of Your Hand
An increasingly popular way to do turning movements and other traffic studies is to video record the location in question then
later count the traffic while watching the video playback. The new Video Mode selection of the TDC Ultra is designed to let you
do this in an efficient manner.
By using the special Video Mode now available you can compress (or extend) the time needed to do a count by running the
video faster (or slower) than real time. You can also take breaks during your counting without disrupting how the data is stored.
This is accomplished by giving you control over the data interval timing, rather than having it be controlled strictly by the Ultra’s
interval clock, as was the case in earlier versions of the Ultra’s firmware. You can now hit a key combination on the Ultra to
immediately advance to the next time interval and continue counting without having to wait for the clock to count down.
With the Video mode you can complete a study in a fraction of the time it would take to do it in real time.
In addition to standard turning movement studies, the Video Mode of the Ultra also supports Roundabout, Vehicle Classification and Multi-direction
Gap studies. All studies can be processed with JAMAR’s PETRAPro software.
Home > Products > Hand-held Traffic Data Collectors > Video Mode
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| Making Data Collection Easier |
| Video Mode Option |
How It Works
The 'Video' selection is a new entry on the Utilities menu of the Ultra.
Select this to start the Video Mode.
Since the video may have been recorded days or weeks in the past, when you select
the Video option you are first prompted to enter the Time and Date to be used for the
start of the count.
The display shows the current hours, minutes, month, day, and year. Use the TAB
key to move the highlight to the parameter that you need to adjust. Then use the Change (#15) key to add one to the current value,or use the
Change (#14) key to subtract one from the current value.
Continue using the Tab and Change keys until all of the parameters are correct,
then press DO to set the start date and time for the count.
You are then prompted to select the type of count you want to do.
The studies that can be done in Video mode are: TM – Standard Turning Movement Study, CL – Vehicle Classification Study, GAP – Multi-direction
Gap Study, RA – Roundabout Study
When you choose any of the studies, the TDC Ultra will step you through a series of menus to further define the
parameters of the count, starting with the Site Code. Once you have programmed a site code for the study, you are
prompted to choose the interval length that will be used.
You are given the choice of 1, 5, 15, 30, or 60 minute intervals. An Interval is the amount of time the TDC Ultra collects data before it stores the
accumulated totals in memory. Once the interval time has been selected, you are ready to start your study.
Note that the data collection is exactly the same in video mode as it is in normal mode,
with one important exception.
During normal studies the TDC Ultra automatically keeps track of the time and stores
the data at the end of the interval. In Video mode, YOU have control over when to
end the current interval and start the new one.
In the Normal mode screen, the time clock at the lower left runs in real time while the interval time remaining clock at the lower right counts down to the
end of the interval. Once the end of the interval is reached, the Ultra emits a triple beep and the data for the previous interval is written to memory.
In Video mode, the time clock at the lower left remains static, showing the start time of the current interval, and there is no interval time remaining
clock shown at the lower right.
When you want to advance to the next interval, you hold down, then release, the DO, TAB and BANK 2 keys at the same time. Once the keys are
released, the Ultra will emit a triple beep and the clock at the lower left will advance to show the start time of the next interval.
For example, you have recorded video at a location for 1 hour and now want to count the traffic by watching the video playback. You select a 15
minute interval and being your count in Video mode. Because the traffic is not heavy at the location you are able to play back the video at 3x speed.
After 5 minutes of real time you've recorded on the Ultra 15 minutes of video time. By pressing the DO, TAB and BANK 2 keys you can advance to the
next interval time on the Ultra without having to wait for a full 15 minutes to pass.
With the Video mode you can complete a study in a fraction of the time it would take to do it in real time.
The 'Video' selection is a new entry on the Utilities menu of the Ultra.
Select this to start the Video Mode.
Since the video may have been recorded days or weeks in the past, when you select
the Video option you are first prompted to enter the Time and Date to be used for the
start of the count.
The display shows the current hours, minutes, month, day, and year. Use the TAB
key to move the highlight to the parameter that you need to adjust. Then use the Change (#15) key to add one to the current value,or use the
Change (#14) key to subtract one from the current value.
Continue using the Tab and Change keys until all of the parameters are correct,
then press DO to set the start date and time for the count.
You are then prompted to select the type of count you want to do.
The studies that can be done in Video mode are: TM – Standard Turning Movement Study, CL – Vehicle Classification Study, GAP – Multi-direction
Gap Study, RA – Roundabout Study
When you choose any of the studies, the TDC Ultra will step you through a series of menus to further define the
parameters of the count, starting with the Site Code. Once you have programmed a site code for the study, you are
prompted to choose the interval length that will be used.
You are given the choice of 1, 5, 15, 30, or 60 minute intervals. An Interval is the amount of time the TDC Ultra collects data before it stores the
accumulated totals in memory. Once the interval time has been selected, you are ready to start your study.
Note that the data collection is exactly the same in video mode as it is in normal mode,
with one important exception.
During normal studies the TDC Ultra automatically keeps track of the time and stores
the data at the end of the interval. In Video mode, YOU have control over when to
end the current interval and start the new one.
In the Normal mode screen, the time clock at the lower left runs in real time while the interval time remaining clock at the lower right counts down to the
end of the interval. Once the end of the interval is reached, the Ultra emits a triple beep and the data for the previous interval is written to memory.
In Video mode, the time clock at the lower left remains static, showing the start time of the current interval, and there is no interval time remaining
clock shown at the lower right.
When you want to advance to the next interval, you hold down, then release, the DO, TAB and BANK 2 keys at the same time. Once the keys are
released, the Ultra will emit a triple beep and the clock at the lower left will advance to show the start time of the next interval.
For example, you have recorded video at a location for 1 hour and now want to count the traffic by watching the video playback. You select a 15
minute interval and being your count in Video mode. Because the traffic is not heavy at the location you are able to play back the video at 3x speed.
After 5 minutes of real time you've recorded on the Ultra 15 minutes of video time. By pressing the DO, TAB and BANK 2 keys you can advance to the
next interval time on the Ultra without having to wait for a full 15 minutes to pass.
With the Video mode you can complete a study in a fraction of the time it would take to do it in real time.
NOTE: The Video Mode option is only available in firmware version 7.0 or later of the TDC Ultra. The version
number of your Ultra is shown on the first screen that appears when you turn on the Ultra.
All new TDC Ultras now ship with the Video mode as a standard feature. If you own TDC Ultras that have earlier
firmware you can send them to us to have their firmware updated for a $75 service fee (per unit). Just download and
fill out our Equipment Repair Request form and include it with the units you send in. Write 'Firmware Upgrade' as the
description.
number of your Ultra is shown on the first screen that appears when you turn on the Ultra.
All new TDC Ultras now ship with the Video mode as a standard feature. If you own TDC Ultras that have earlier
firmware you can send them to us to have their firmware updated for a $75 service fee (per unit). Just download and
fill out our Equipment Repair Request form and include it with the units you send in. Write 'Firmware Upgrade' as the
description.
| Normal Mode |
| Video Mode |
