Engineers Week 2021: Profile of Keith Hughes, Senior ITS Engineer

When I was younger, I was fascinated by finding out how things work, so I would dismantle whatever I could get my hands on, put the pieces back together, and hope it would still work despite the pile of spare parts generally left over.

I began my career as an electrician, studying at Dublin Institute of Technology, now Technological University Dublin. Over the years, I worked in automation control and communication systems across a range of industries, including food processing, aviation, microprocessor and biomedical.

In 2015, I went back to college as a part-time student and consolidated my years of work experience into a bachelor's degree in mechatronic engineering from Blanchardstown IT.

My role on Transport Infrastructure Ireland's (TII) enhancing Motorway Operations Services programme is focused on ensuring that all new and existing intelligent transport systems (ITS) equipment installed on the M50 motorway, including lane control signals and variable message signs, integrates with the new Network Intelligence and Management System (NIMS).

NIMS is an overarching, adaptive system that receives information from multiple roadside traffic monitoring devices, allowing operators to set signs on the M50 and provide a more integrated road management service to road users. The NIMS system will be based in the Motorway Operations Control Centre in the M50 Dublin Tunnel Building on East Wall Road.

I am also working with the M50 Traffic Flow Optimisation site team, who are responsible for upgrading existing infrastructure on the M50, such as overhead gantries, to the highest industry standards and erecting any additional infrastructure required to support the installation of overhead electronic signage. I provide support to the team in a variety of areas, including electrical power distribution and public lighting, and ensure communication diversion plans are set in place before civil works on site commence. 

I have worked in the ITS sector for 13 years and predominantly in field-based roles, working directly with the equipment at the side of the road. My in-depth knowledge and understanding of TII’s road network, equipment, and communication media types and my field experience has been hugely beneficial in my current role - from knowing who to call for a query on the M50 or M8, or how a roadside device may behave in a given circumstance, or how to pre-empt site and system issues before they cause delays to project works.

In my previous role, I was responsible for managing TII maintenance contracts whereas now I am supporting a large-scale technology project directly for a client. The experience has given me a broader perspective for which I am very grateful.

For me, the most exciting aspect of the eMOS programme is the merging of roadside technology with social media as a data source, all working together on one system. 

I am amazed at the vast amount of work, energy and collaboration the eMOS team has invested in the programme to date. It is something to admire! 

Driver assistance systems in new vehicles already have the potential to reduce crashes, prevent injuries, and save lives by offering, for example, lane-keeping, adaptive cruise control and auto braking. As this technology evolves, automated vehicles will be a natural progression. How far into the future this will happen remains to be seen, but it will be interesting to watch it unfold. 

Don’t wait to finish school to start exploring engineering; it is literally everywhere! Get your hands dirty and start to understand how everyday things work, feed your curiosity, and never stop learning new things.