SYSTEM, METHOD AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR FLOOD AWARE TRAVEL ROUTING

• US 20130116920A1
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cavalcante, Victor Fernandes, Gatti, Maira Athanazio de Cerqueira, Herrmann, Ricardo Guimaraes, Mantripragada, Kiran, Netto, Marco Aurelio Stelmar, Real, Lucas Correia Villa, Souza, Cleidson Ronald Botelho De, Zadrozny, Bianca, Flach, Bruno Da Costa, Sesini, Paula Aida
• Application Number:
  US13/290,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20130116920A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/410
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries

Abstract

A travel routing system, method and program product therefor. A location detector detects a current location. A geographical database provides details of a given area. Selecting a destination causes a route generator to generate routes through the area from the current location. A flood simulator receives meteorological data and determines flooding along the routes. A risk-modeling unit determines the risk to travelers of using each route. Before the risk-modeling unit is deployed, it is trained off-line to model travel risks using incidents in an incident data store and simulated flooding in the vicinity of the incidents.

Claims

1. A travel routing system comprising:

a location detector detecting a current location;

a geographical database of a given area;

a route generator generating a plurality of routes from said current location through said area to a selected destination responsive to selection of said destination;

a flood simulator receiving meteorological data and determining flooding in said area at each of said routes responsive to said meteorological data; and

a risk-modeling unit determining the risk to travelers using each of said routes.

2. A travel routing system as in claim 1 wherein said location detector is detecting the current location of said travel routing system.

3. A travel routing system as in claim 1, further comprising:

an incident data store storing history of incidents including date and time of each incident, description and type of incident and the severity of the incident;

a weather data store storing history of meteorological events;

a training geographical database of a given training area; and

a training flood simulator determining flooding in said training area responsive to said meteorological events, before said risk-modeling unit is deployed said risk-modeling unit being trained off-line to model travel risks using a plurality of incidents in said incident data store and simulated flooding in the vicinity of said plurality of incidents.

4. A travel routing system as in claim 3 wherein said risk-modeling unit is a stand-alone neural network.

5. A travel routing system as in claim 3 wherein said risk-modeling unit is a stand-alone Bayesian network.

6. A travel routing system as in claim 3 wherein said training geographical database is said geographical database deployed with said risk-modeling unit.

7. A travel routing system as in claim 3 wherein said training flood simulator is said flood simulator deployed with said risk-modeling unit.

8. A method of routing travel comprising:

receiving a destination;

determining plurality of routes to said destination;

simulating flood conditions along said plurality of routes;

modeling travel risks associated with flooding in each of said plurality of routes; and

displaying said plurality of routes with an associated risk of travel incidents.

9. A method of routing travel as in claim 8, wherein a risk-modeling unit models risks, said risk-modeling unit being taught to model risks by a method comprising:

providing a history of incidents including date and time of each incident, description and type of incident and the severity of the incident;

providing a history of meteorological events;

providing geographical data of a given area;

simulating flooding in said area responsive to said meteorological events; and

training said risk-modeling unit off-line to model travel risks using a plurality of said incidents and simulated flooding in the vicinity of said plurality of incidents.

10. A method of routing travel as in claim 9, further comprising deploying said risk-modeling unit.

11. A method of routing travel as in claim 8, further comprising receiving real time weather data, simulating flood conditions being responsive to said real time weather data and weather prediction data.

12. A method of routing travel as in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a current route selection;

receiving a subsequent travel location; and

updating risks of flooding associated with continued travel from said subsequent travel location responsive to said receiving said real time weather data and said weather prediction data.

13. A method of routing travel as in claim 8, wherein said plurality of routes are displayed on a touch screen display and receiving said destination comprises receiving said destination on said touch screen display.

14. A method of routing travel comprising:

providing a history of incidents including date and time of each incident, description and type of incident and the severity of the incident;

providing a history of meteorological events;

providing geographical data of a given area;

simulating flooding in said area responsive to said meteorological event;

training a risk-modeling unit off-line to model travel risks using a plurality of said incidents and simulated flooding in the vicinity of said plurality of incidents, and deploying said risk-modeling unit.

15. A method of routing travel as in claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a destination;

determining plurality of routes to said destination;

simulating flood conditions along said plurality of routes;

modeling travel risks associated with flooding in each of said plurality of routes; and

displaying said plurality of routes with an associated risk of travel incidents.

16. A method of routing travel as in claim 15, further comprising receiving real time weather data, simulating flood conditions being responsive to said real time weather data and weather prediction data.

17. A method of routing travel as in claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a current route selection;

receiving a subsequent travel location; and

updating risks of flooding associated with continued travel from said subsequent travel location responsive to said receiving said real time weather data and said weather prediction data.

18. A method of routing travel as in claim 15, wherein said plurality of routes are displayed on a touch screen display and receiving said destination comprises receiving said destination on said touch screen display.

19. A computer program product for routing travel, said computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code stored thereon, said computer readable program code causing a computer executing said code to:

receive a destination;

determine plurality of routes to said destination;

simulate flood conditions along said plurality of routes;

model travel risks associated with flooding in each of said plurality of routes; and

display said plurality of routes with an associated risk of travel incidents.

20. A computer program product for routing travel as in claim 19, further comprising computer readable program code for training a risk-modeling unit off-line to model risks by causing said risk-modeling unit to:

receive a history of incidents including date and time of each incident, description and type of incident and the severity of the incident;

receive a history of meteorological events;

receive geographical data of a given area;

receive simulated flooding in said area simulated responsive to said meteorological events; and

use a plurality of said incidents and simulated flooding in the vicinity of said plurality of incidents to assess risks associated with travel in said area.

21. A computer program product for routing travel as in claim 20, further causing a deployed said risk-modeling unit to receive real time weather data, simulate said flood conditions responsive to said real time weather data and weather prediction data.

22. A computer program product for routing travel as in claim 21, further causing said deployed risk-modeling unit to:

receiving a current route selection;

receive a subsequent travel location; and

update risks of flooding associated with continued travel from said subsequent travel location responsive to said receiving said real time weather data and said weather prediction data.

23. A computer program product for routing travel, said computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code stored thereon, said computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code means for detecting a current location;

computer readable program code means for a geographical database of a given area;

computer readable program code means for generating a plurality of routes from said current location through said area to a selected destination responsive to selection of said destination;

computer readable program code means for receiving meteorological data and determining flooding in said area at each of said routes responsive to said meteorological data;

computer readable program code means for risk-modeling to determine the risk to travelers using each of said routes; and

computer readable program code means for receiving a current route selection.

24. A computer program product for routing travel as in claim 23, wherein said computer readable program code means for risk-modeling comprises computer readable program code means for a stand-alone Bayesian network.

25. A computer program product for routing travel as in claim 23, wherein said computer readable program code means for risk-modeling comprises computer readable program code means for a stand-alone neural network.