Kapsch TrafficCom brings its AI initiative to Latin America
- Inclusive annotation team to expand from Vienna to Chile
- People with autism will train AI
Santiago de Chile, August 13, 2024 – Kapsch TrafficCom, a leader in intelligent transportation systems, is expanding its AI annotation to Chile.
Annotation is the addition of information and labels to data and is one of the fundamental requirements for modern AI - because the “intelligent” systems must be trained before they can work independently.
The team that was set up in Chile is an extension of the project team in Vienna, Austria, where people with autism work to train the image recognition AI of Kapsch TrafficCom. It is part of the automatic number plate recognition and vehicle classification software that is used for various tolling and traffic management applications.
Annotation requires a high level of detail orientation and endurance, which are skills that are often found in people with autism. The project has been running successfully since 2019 and is now expanding to South America.
Samuel Kapsch, Region Head Latin America at Kapsch TrafficCom, explains: “I am very proud that we are bringing our AI initiative to Latin America – in a way that is not only inclusive, but gives us a unique competitive advantage. There is no other company in our region that undertakes a similar initiative.”
The team in Chile is working as part of the global annotation team, training and developing the AI-based image recognition software of Kapsch TrafficCom.
“People with autism are severely disadvantaged in the labor market, but they have exactly the skills that we need for this type of work, making this a win-win for everybody involved,” Samuel Kapsch continues.
Annotation is a growing market, as AI is becoming more and more important across multiple sectors. Kapsch TrafficCom is involved in the development of AI since many years and is successfully deploying its image recognition AI for many clients across the globe.
Kapsch TrafficCom in Latin America
Kapsch TrafficCom has been active in Latin America since 2000 and has now implemented projects in 10 countries and 19 cities in the region. Under the leadership of Samuel Kapsch, the focus is primarily on modern tolling systems and intelligent traffic management solutions for highways and cities to avoid congestion and reduce emissions. With the annotation team, AI development will also play a growing role in Latin America.
Kapsch TrafficCom is a globally renowned provider of transportation solutions for sustainable mobility with successful projects in more than 50 countries. Innovative solutions in the application fields of tolling, tolling services, traffic management and demand management contribute to a healthy world without congestion.
With one-stop-shop solutions, the company covers the entire value chain of customers, from components to design and implementation to the operation of systems.
Kapsch TrafficCom, headquartered in Vienna, has subsidiaries and branches in more than 25 countries and is listed in the Prime Market segment of the Vienna Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: KTCG). In its 2023/24 financial year, about 4,000 employees generated revenues of EUR 539 million.