Probe Data |
Roadway One of the unintended benefits of the ubiquity of
smart devices has been richer traffic data. There are
now a number of providers competing to use this
data to deliver better services to traffic mangers.
Tom Stone talks to some of the key players, finds out
about the strengths and weaknesses of such
systems, and asks what the future holds
For over a decade now traffic
to build traffic information into its
Google Maps service. Originally its
dynamic maps weren’t aimed
particularly at traffic mangers, but
as the information became more
accurate and coverage got wider, it
wasn’t long before rivals began to
see its potential in this field.
“You can take traffic data off
of Google Maps quite easily by
taking screen shots,” says Brian
Batist, business developer at
Localyse, who have partnered
with Google to provide traffic
management services. “But Google
does not allow this ‘scraping’ of
data for commercial purposes.
Some years ago, one company
made multiple screenshots of
real-life data. This is in conflict with
Google’s terms and policies, but it
gave us an idea
Brian Batist, business developer, Localyse
information has been
available from a new source –
‘floating car’ or ‘probe’ data
built from anonymized signals from
smart devices.
The data started out
being used by private
individuals – either through
in-car sat-navs or on
web-based maps to avoid
congestion – but now it
can deliver more advanced
services that have
become valuable tools
for traffic managers.
A number of different players in
this field are now competing to deliver
to traffic management centers (TMCs)
not only the most accurate real-time
picture of our roads, but also
predicting future congestion before it
happens and even enable greater
accuracy in incident detection.
Google was one of the original
pioneers of floating car data, using it
028 Traffic Technology International July/August 2019
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