12 August 2026 | News
Image Courtesy: Public Domain
Ouster, Inc. (Nasdaq: OUST) (“Ouster” or the “Company”), a global leader in high-performance lidar sensors and intelligent software solutions, powering Physical AI across the automotive, industrial, robotics and smart infrastructure sectors, announced that Econolite, a leader in mobility operating systems, was awarded an expansion contract from Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) to deploy Ouster BlueCity, a complete lidar traffic management solution for actuation, alerts, and analytics, at an additional 160 intersections statewide.
With the first Ouster BlueCity with integrated Rev8 installation already live in Utah, this expanded deployment marks a major technological leap for the state through the integration of Ouster's OS1 Max Rev8 digital lidar sensor. The system introduces up to 500-foot advance detection for corridor-level traffic management alongside the world’s first native color lidar detection system. By simultaneously capturing color data and 3D depth, the system delivers unmatched situational awareness to create accurate, high-fidelity digital traffic twins, simplified zone set-up, and more intuitive event recording analysis through improved color visualization. Crucially, the solution features system-level privacy technologies at the edge with blurring of pedestrians and cyclists while fully retaining the rich operational benefits of color data.
The UDOT contract expansion follows a rigorous, real-world assessment of six distinct lidar proposals conducted by the Utah State Evaluation Committee in December 2024 where Econolite’s provision of the Ouster BlueCity solution received the highest overall vendor score and ranked first in the lidar hardware & perception software categories.
UDOT’s primary objective is to reduce collisions and protect Vulnerable Roadway Users (VRUs), such as pedestrians and cyclists, through smarter, safer, and more sustainable infrastructure. By leveraging an open API architecture, Ouster BlueCity integrates seamlessly with UDOT’s existing traffic control ecosystem, including Econolite Cobalt® traffic signal controllers. Installed non-intrusively in as little as three to five hours per intersection, the Ouster BlueCity system generates a color 3D digital traffic twin to enable dynamic traffic signal actuation based on live multimodal demand. Furthermore, the system’s long-range multimodal detection and tracking provides a continuous stream of high-fidelity, automated data for corridor-level intelligence and advanced actuation logic. This enables high-impact safety applications such as automated crosswalk extensions for slow-moving pedestrians, dilemma zone protection, turning-vehicle yield warnings, and real-time vehicle-to-everything (V2X) safety alerts broadcast via integration with intersection Roadside Units (RSUs).
“The scaling of Ouster BlueCity’s footprint to hundreds of intersections in Utah is a powerful testament to the real-world value the solution delivers daily to transportation agencies and municipalities both large and small,” said Asad Lesani, VP, Global ITS Solutions at Ouster. “By leveraging our latest Rev8 OS1 Max digital lidar sensor for these system deployments, UDOT is unlocking a new era of corridor-level, advance detection in native color alongside critical transportation infrastructure compliance, and we are proudly positioned to support the state's long-term roadway modernization and safety goals.”
This expansion builds on the momentum of a 2025 UDOT contract awarded to Econolite, which initiated the deployment of Ouster BlueCity across more than 100 intersections statewide utilizing Rev7 digital lidar sensors. The latest agreement brings UDOT’s total contracted Ouster BlueCity footprint to nearly 300 intersection and roadway deployments. With Utah included, Ouster BlueCity powers the United States’ top three largest, fully integrated lidar traffic management deployments, alongside Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“UDOT’s decision to expand this deployment underscores the heightened levels of situational awareness the Econolite-Ouster integrated lidar solution brings to modern traffic management,” said Jim Madden, Senior Vice President of U.S. Sales at Econolite. “By combining Ouster’s advanced system capabilities with Econolite’s proven traffic management technologies, we are helping provide the critical mobility intelligence to optimize signal operations, and create safer, more efficient roadways across Utah.”
Ouster BlueCity sets a new standard in traffic management with up to 500-foot advance detection and the world’s first native color lidar that detects and tracks vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians, and trams for optimized actuation, real-time alerts, and 24/7 data analytics. By combining Ouster’s digital lidar sensors and proprietary AI software, the single system captures color (optional) and 3D depth for enhanced digital traffic twin and 2D image visualization. Engineered for long-term reliability in adverse weather and lighting conditions, the solution features privacy-enhancing technology at the edge while retaining the rich benefits of color data. A fast, non-invasive installation unlocks high-fidelity live and historic data alongside 3D recordings for safety events such as near-misses and wrong-way drivers, while an open API architecture ensures seamless ecosystem integration for rapid data sharing. Cities and agencies worldwide use Ouster BlueCity to optimize mobility, streamline operations, and increase road user safety across their intersections, corridors and highway mainlines and ramps. The solution complies with system-level NEMA TS2, Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act, and ISO 27001 cybersecurity.
