SHARE YOUR STORY

To celebrate its past and its future, GTT is asking for memorable stories of your Opticom system in action.

Please send your Opticom story by clicking the link below.

GTT_50Years_v2_web

CELEBRATING THE PAST

Over 50 years ago, inventor and engineer, William Long, used his experience with military developments on ship-to-ship optical communication devices to start to envision a way to remotely control traffic signals. As part of Light Energy Systems, Inc. (LES), Long traveled the US with colleague G. Wayne King demonstrating the Mark I and II Opticom units. The first sale of an Opticom system was to Buena Park, Ca in June 1966.  While the actual first sale of Opticom was in 1966, the acquisition of LES to 3M in July 1968 is what led to a greater commercialization of Opticom, and the foundation for it legacy today.

CELEBRATING OUR PAST

Over 50 years ago, inventor and engineer, William Long, used his experience with military developments on ship-to-ship optical communication devices to start to envision a way to remotely control traffic signals. As part of Light Energy Systems, Inc. (LES), Long traveled the US with colleague G. Wayne King demonstrating the Mark I and II Opticom units. The first sale of an Opticom system was to Buena Park, Ca in June 1966.  While the actual first sale of Opticom was in 1966, the acquisition of LES to 3M in July 1968 is what led to a greater commercialization of Opticom, and the foundation for it legacy today.

who we serve
3M LEGACY

Within 3M’s portfolio, Opticom had much more exposure and resources. Just outside of the 3M corporate headquarters, Opticom began to be installed at intersections around St. Paul, Minnesota and in the vehicles of the St. Paul police department, which quickly saw the value in emergency vehicle preemption.

Retired St. Paul Police Department senior commander Edward Steenberg recalled 3M marketing the product to other departments by hosting them at their campus. Steenberg said he’d take the visiting officers out to lunch in his Opticom-equipped car.

“I’d drive them through St. Paul and they’d see nothing but green lights,” Steenberg said.

During his 50-plus years of police work, Steenberg also trained with the U.S. Secret Service in Washington, D.C. At one training session in the early years of Opticom, Steenberg recalled a session where they were allocating officers for a presidential motorcade.

One of the Secret Service members pulled Steenberg aside and told him he knew about Opticom and that his team should use that in exercise. When it came time to present, Steenberg’s group had more officers than they needed because they didn’t have to manually block or control intersections, thanks to Opticom.

“They all learned what Opticom could do for us — how valuable it could be to a department,” Steenberg said. “They had never experienced that before.”

3M LEGACY

Within 3M’s portfolio, Opticom had much more exposure and resources. Just outside of the 3M corporate headquarters, Opticom began to be installed at intersections around St. Paul, Minnesota and in the vehicles of the St. Paul police department, which quickly saw the value in emergency vehicle preemption.

Retired St. Paul Police Department senior commander Edward Steenberg recalled 3M marketing the product to other departments by hosting them at their campus. Steenberg said he’d take the visiting officers out to lunch in his Opticom-equipped car.

“I’d drive them through St. Paul and they’d see nothing but green lights,” Steenberg said.

During his 50-plus years of police work, Steenberg also trained with the U.S. Secret Service in Washington, D.C. At one training session in the early years of Opticom, Steenberg recalled a session where they were allocating officers for a presidential motorcade.

One of the Secret Service members pulled Steenberg aside and told him he knew about Opticom and that his team should use that in exercise. When it came time to present, Steenberg’s group had more officers than they needed because they didn’t have to manually block or control intersections, thanks to Opticom.

“They all learned what Opticom could do for us — how valuable it could be to a department,” Steenberg said. “They had never experienced that before.”

Saint paul police with opticom
BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Since its creation, Opticom has been considered a critical, lifesaving technology.

In November of 1969, Popular Science magazine published “Fire Engine has Built-in Traffic Cop” promoting the features and functionality of Opticom.*

Since then developers at 3M and Global Traffic Technologies have reimagined ways to make Opticom even more reliable and powerful. Notable breakthroughs include:

  • 1968 – 1st generation Opticom IR solution release
  • 1983 – 2nd generation Opticom IR solution
  • 1992 – 3rd generation Opticom IR adds coding/ID configuration
  • 2001 – 1st generation Opticom GPS-enabled/radio-based system reduced maintenance, improved reliability and paved the way for more controllable preemption and priority
  • 2007 – 2nd generation Opticom GPS-enabled/radio-based system improve reliability
  • 2010 – 3rd generation Opticom GPS-enabled/radio-based system added security and backwards compatibility with multimode operation
  • 2012 – Development of a centralized solution that leverages network connections to traffic signals and wireless communications on vehicles
  • 2016 – Development of Opticom Analytics, allowing users to evaluate performance, review operational trends and make improvements
BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY
  • Since its creation, Opticom has been considered a critical, lifesaving technology.In November of 1969, Popular Science magazine published “Fire Engine has Built-in Traffic Cop” promoting the features and functionality of Opticom.*Since then developers at 3M and Global Traffic Technologies have reimagined ways to make Opticom even more reliable and powerful. Notable breakthroughs include:
    • 1968 – 1st generation Opticom IR solution release
    • 1983 – 2nd generation Opticom IR solution
    • 1992 – 3rd generation Opticom IR adds coding/ID configuration
    • 2001 – 1st generation Opticom GPS-enabled/radio-based system reduced maintenance, improved reliability and paved the way for more controllable preemption and priority
    • 2007 – 2nd generation Opticom GPS-enabled/radio-based system improve reliability
    • 2010 – 3rd generation Opticom GPS-enabled/radio-based system added security and backwards compatibility with multimode operation
    • 2012 – Development of a centralized solution that leverages network connections to traffic signals and wireless communications on vehicles
    • 2016 – Development of Opticom Analytics, allowing users to evaluate performance, review operational trends and make improvements
Opticom 50 years
INSPIRING THE FUTURE

To continue the pioneering efforts set forth by the creators of Opticom, GTT is now looking to help communities use technology to become smarter. As one of the first providers of vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communications, GTT’s solutions are helping to change the way entire cities move.

GTT has become a trusted advisor to more than 3,100 cities around the world, a testament to its commitment to tireless innovation and the total assurance provided with every solution.

GTT’s vision now is to provide a clear path to smarter mobility by empowering people to get from where they are to where they want to be.

As GTT drives the transition to smarter, safer mobility, its solutions for cities continue to evolve. The next generation of priority control removes the hassle of procurement and installation and makes preemption easy and affordable. With Opticom™ Priority Control as a Service (PCaaS), customers get all the benefits of an Opticom system without having to worry about the details.

Explore

INSPIRING THE FUTURE

To continue the pioneering efforts set forth by the creators of Opticom, GTT is now looking to help communities use technology to become smarter. As one of the first providers of vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communications, GTT’s solutions are helping to change the way entire cities move.

GTT has become a trusted advisor to more than 3,100 cities around the world, a testament to its commitment to tireless innovation and the total assurance provided with every solution.

GTT’s vision now is to provide a clear path to smarter mobility by empowering people to get from where they are to where they want to be.

As GTT drives the transition to smarter, safer mobility, its solutions for cities continue to evolve. The next generation of priority control removes the hassle of procurement and installation and makes preemption easy and affordable. With Opticom™ Priority Control as a Service (PCaaS), customers get all the benefits of an Opticom system without having to worry about the details.

Explore

Smart City Image
GLOBAL REACH
TECHNOLOGY LEADER
GTT_Timeline_050818-Opticom
LOOKING BACK TO 1968

Also introduced in 1968

  • The Emergency 911 Telephone service is started in the USA which provides a single number for reporting emergencies and is manned 24 hours per day 365 days per year
  • McDonald’s Big Mac is introduced, costing $0.49
  • Boeing 747 made its maiden flight
  • Intel Corporation is founded
  • The Redwood National Park is created in California to protect the Giant Redwoods.
  • ATM First Philadelphia Bank installs the first automated teller machine in the U.S

Transportation in 1968

  • In both Europe and America, Japanese imported cars and other goods were continuing to rise and troubled the governments of UK and USA as they worried about industries in their own countries being affected and jobs lost.
  • Allen K Breed invents an airbag that deploys and inflates automatically on violent impact using nitrogen gas.
  • London Bridge is sold for 1 million. Later re-erected in Arizona

Cultural fun facts from 1968

  • The Beatles created Apple Records and recorded “Hey Jude” as the first single on the label
  • The CBS television news magazine program “60 Minutes” shown for the first time
  • Apollo 8 is the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon
  • The federal hourly minimum wage is $1.60 an hour
  • Average Cost of new house $14,950.00
  • Average Income per year $7,850.00
  • Average Monthly Rent $130.00
  • Gas per Gallon is 34 cents
  • Average Cost of a new car $2,822.00

*Image Source: Popular Science, November 1969