Surface street traffic estimation

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we propose a simple yet effective method of identifying traffic conditions on surface streets given location traces collected from on-road vehicles---this requires only GPS location data, plus infrequent low-bandwidth cellular updates. Unlike other systems, which simply display vehicle speeds on the road, our system characterizes unique traffic patterns on each road segment and identifies unusual traffic states on a segment-by-segment basis. We developed and evaluated the system by applying it to two sets of location traces. Evaluation results show that higher than 90% accuracy in characterization can be achieved after ten or more traversals are collected on a given road segment. We also show that traffic patterns on a road are very consistent over time, provided that the underlying road conditions do not change. This allows us to use a longer history in identifying traffic conditions with higher accuracy.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.2 DATABASE MANAGEMENT
      H.2.8 Database applications

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.3 INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL
      H.3.5 On-line Information Services

General Terms:
Algorithms, Design, Measurement

Keywords:
GPS, estimation, traffic