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DETECTING ANOMALOUS ROAD TRAFFIC CONDITIONS

  • US 20070208497A1
  • Filed: 11/03/2006
  • Published: 09/06/2007
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2006
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for a computing system to automatically identify abnormal traffic conditions on roads so as to facilitate travel on the roads, the method comprising:

  • receiving information describing a network of roads in a geographic area;

    for each of the roads in the network, identifying multiple segments of the road for which traffic conditions are distinctly tracked;

    for each of multiple users, receiving a request from the user to be notified of abnormal traffic conditions that occur on one or more indicated road segments; and

    facilitating navigation of vehicles over the network of roads using information about automatically identified abnormal traffic conditions on the roads by, for each of at least some of the road segments,obtaining information indicating current actual traffic conditions for the road segment, the current actual traffic conditions including an actual average traffic speed of vehicles traveling on the road segment at a current time;

    obtaining information indicating expected traffic conditions for the current time for the road segment, the expected traffic conditions reflecting a generated forecast of traffic conditions that includes an expected average traffic speed of vehicles traveling on the road segment at the current time;

    automatically identifying whether the current actual traffic conditions for the road segment at the current time are abnormal with respect to the expected traffic conditions for the road segment for the current time, the identifying being based at least in part on generated comparative information for the road segment that indicates a difference between the actual and expected average traffic speeds of vehicles traveling on the road segment; and

    if the current actual traffic conditions for the road segment are identified as abnormal, and if one or more users has requested to be notified of abnormal traffic conditions on the road segment, providing information about the abnormal current actual traffic conditions to each of the one or more users.

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