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Science Blog ZINC PROJECTS

Cellphone GPS data provides traffic condition

Date: 27-Feb-08
Author: University of California-Berkeley

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and Nokia tested technology that could soon transform the way drivers navigate through congested highways and obtain information about road conditions. In the unprecedented field experiment, transportation researchers tested the feasibility of using GPS-enabled mobile phones to monitor real-time traffic flow while preserving the privacy of the phones' users.

Using the GPS data to estimate prevailing speeds and travel times, researchers were able to obtain a picture of real-time traffic conditions.

Information was displayed on the Internet, allowing viewers to visualize traffic in real time.

GPS-based systems can pinpoint a car's location with an accuracy of a few meters and calculate traveling speed to within 3 miles per hour [4.8 km/h]. Enlisting GPS-equipped cell phones into traffic monitoring systems could help provide information on everything from multiple side-street routes in urban areas to hazardous driving conditions or accidents on vast stretches of rural roads.

Full story: Joint Nokia research project captures traffic data using GPS-enabled cell phones