As part of the ROC project, companies from the Ocean Autonomy Cluster and NORDSEC recently visited the Norwegian Public Roads Administration’s Road Traffic Control Centre (VTS) in the Central Region of Norway.

The purpose was to learn from one of Norway’s most complex control rooms and explore how technology, sensors, and operator competence can be transferred to future remote and autonomous operation centres.

Control room at the Road Traffic Control Centre, Central Region. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri

VTS monitors and manages traffic on national and regional roads across an entire region, around the clock. Data from sensors, cameras, and traffic alerts provide operators with real-time situational awareness for handling incidents, coordinating emergency response, and notifying relevant services.

The experience offers valuable insight for the development of Remote Operation Centres (ROC) for various types of operations.

Jan Petersen demonstrating an operator workstation. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri

Christian Nygård and Jan Petersen from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration guided the participants through VTS operations and technical infrastructure, demonstrating how sensor and data networks support decision-making and operational coordination.

This provides inspiration for ROC, where remote operation and monitoring of autonomous or crewed systems can be enabled across sectors.

Christian Nygård, Norwegian Public Roads Administration. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri

The ROC project

The ROC project is developing standardized, flexible, and scalable control centres that enable operators to manage vessels and maritime systems remotely, including underwater, on the surface, in the air, and even in space. By integrating all vessel functions, from navigation to cranes and engine rooms, ROC provides a unified platform for safe, efficient, and dual-use operations while supporting the transition toward fully autonomous maritime systems.

The project is carried out in collaboration with NTNU Shore Control Lab, Testination, MIDAS, the Ocean Autonomy Cluster, and Maritime Robotics.

The visit to VTS gave participants concrete perspectives on how advanced sensor use, situational awareness, and operational management can be transferred to future ROC solutions, contributing to the development of robust, scalable, and secure control rooms for remote and autonomous operations.

Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri