Method and system for using cellular date for transportation planning and engineering

• US 20060293046A1
• Filed: 06/22/2006
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airsage
• Original Assignee: Airsage
• Inventors: Smith, Cyrus W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,406,770 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/012 from other sources than vehicle or roadside beacons, e.g. mobile networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/00 Network planning, e.g. coverage or traffic planning tools; Network deployment, e.g. resource partitioning or cells structures

Abstract

Using data from a wireless telephony network to support transportation planning and engineering. Data related to wireless network users is extracted from the wireless network to determine the location of a mobile station. Additional location records for the mobile station can be used to characterize the movement of the mobile station: its speed, its route, its point of origin and destination, and its primary and secondary transportation analysis zones. Aggregating data associated with multiple mobile stations allows characterizing and predicting traffic parameters, including traffic speeds and volumes along routes.

Claims

1. A system for using data from a wireless telephony network to support traffic planning and engineering comprising:

a data extraction module, logically coupled to one or more wireless telephony networks, operable to receive location data associated with a mobile station user of one of the wireless telephony networks; and

a data analysis module, logically coupled to the data extraction module, operable to use the location data to support transportation planning and engineering.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a privacy module logically coupled to the data extraction module and operable to protect personal identifying information contained in the location data received from the wireless telephony network from unauthorized disclosure.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the data extraction module is further operable to generate a location record comprising a mobile station identifier, a location, and a time.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the data analysis module further comprises a geographic analyzer operable determine an origin and a destination for a trip taken by the mobile station user.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the geographic analyzer is further operable to identify a primary transportation analysis zone for the mobile station user.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the data analysis module further comprises a traffic analyzer operable to determine a traffic parameter associated with the mobile station user.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the traffic parameter comprises a volume of traffic along a road segment.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the traffic analyzer is further operable to characterize a transportation infrastructure within a geographic region.

9. A method for using data from a wireless telephony network to support traffic planning and engineering comprising the steps of:

determining a location of a mobile station using the wireless telephony network;

characterizing a transportation infrastructure within a geographic region; and

determining a transportation parameter associated with the mobile station using the transportation infrastructure, wherein the determined transportation parameter supports transportation planning and engineering.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of determining a location of a mobile station further comprises the steps of:

receiving data from the wireless telephony network associated with a communications event of the mobile station; and

extracting a mobile station identifier, a location, and a time form the received data.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of providing an anonymous mobile station identifier to prevent an unauthorized disclosure of personal identifying information associated with the mobile station.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of characterizing a transportation infrastructure within a geographic region further comprises the steps of:

identifying a transportation analysis zone associated with the geographic region; and

identifying one or more traffic routes within the transportation analysis zone.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of identifying a transportation analysis zone associated with the geographic region comprises identifying multiple transportation analysis zones and further comprising the step of identifying routes between the multiple transportation analysis zones.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of determining a transportation parameter associated with the mobile station using the transportation infrastructure further comprises the steps of:

identifying a road segment within the geographic region;

selecting a time interval; and

for the selected time interval, determining a number of mobile stations located on the road segment.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of determining a transportation parameter associated with the mobile station using the transportation infrastructure further comprises the steps of:

identifying a road segment within the geographic region;

selecting a time interval;

for the selected time interval;

identifying the mobile stations located on the road segment; and

for the identified mobile stations, determining the speed of the mobile stations on the road segment.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of determining a transportation parameter associated with the mobile station using the transportation infrastructure further comprises the steps of:

identifying a road segment within the geographic region;

selecting a time interval;

for the selected time interval;

determining a number of mobile stations located on the road segment;

receiving a transportation planning constraint; and

predicting a change in the number of mobile stations located on the road segment based on the transportation planning constraint.

17. A method for using data from a wireless telephony network for associating a mobile station with a primary transportation analysis zone, comprising the steps of:

retrieving a location record associated with the mobile station;

establishing one or more criteria for associating the mobile station with the primary transportation analysis zone, wherein the one or more criteria relate the mobile station to the primary transportation analysis zone based on a time parameter associated with the mobile station and the primary transportation analysis zone; and

applying the one or more criteria to associate the mobile station with the primary transportation analysis zone.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the associated primary transportation analysis zone represents the primary transportation analysis zone where a user of the mobile station resides.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the associated primary transportation analysis zone represents the primary transportation analysis zone where a user of the mobile station works.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the time parameter comprises a time of day.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the time parameter comprises an amount of time.

22. A method for using data from a wireless telephony network for identifying an origin and a destination for a trip made by a user of a mobile station, comprising the steps of:

identifying a first location record for the mobile station comprising a first geographic region associated with the origin of a trip;

identifying one or more subsequent location records for the mobile station associated with the trip; and

identifying a second geographic region for the destination for the trip, wherein one or more of the subsequent location records for the mobile station comprise the second geographic region for a set time interval.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising the step of recording the first geographic region as the origin of the trip and recording the second geographic region as the destination of the trip.