Optimizing traffic predictions and enhancing notifications

• US 8,041,660 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2010
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: HNTB Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: HNTB Holdings Limited
• Inventors: Stehle, Tommy Allen, Pallotto, Terrence Matthew, Ostrom, Michael Richard, Simon, Christopher James
• Primary Examiner(s): Holmes, Michael B
• Application Number:
  US12/914,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20110106592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• Field of Search: 706/14
• US Class Current: 706/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• 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

Abstract

Travel-demand forecasting methods are described for predicting traffic volume based, at least in part, on user-entered data in the form of origin/destination data pairs, user preferences, demographic data and other types of socioeconomic data. This data can source a prediction algorithm or be used to calibrate or more make accurate a current algorithm. Methods and systems are described for, among other things, optimizing traffic predictions, forecasting traffic patterns using user-assigned trip patterns, associating rich attribute information to navigation routes, exposing personal-logistic information to a group, communicating traffic-situation-generated alerts based on user information, optimizing a presentation of user-defined traffic routes, and presenting location indications based on proximity (temporal or geographical).

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, facilitate a method of forecasting a traffic pattern, the method comprising:

at a first computing device, receiving routes information that includes indications of anticipated traffic routes that reflect potential routes that a plurality of users might traverse and are characterized by one or more of the following,

(1) a geographic origination point (“

origination”

);

(2) a geographic destination point (“

destination”

); and

(3) timing information that describes a time of anticipated travel from said origination to said destination,

identifying a roadway segment for which traffic is to be forecasted, wherein said identifying is accomplished by one or more of the following,

(1) receiving a roadway-segment indication that was provided by a user, and identifying said roadway segment using said roadway-segment indication;

(2) identifying said roadway segment based on said routes information;

utilizing the routes information to forecast a traffic pattern associated with said roadway segment, thereby resulting in a forecasted traffic pattern; and

communicating an indication of said forecasted traffic pattern to a display device that is remote from said first computing device;

thereby transforming said routes information into said indication that is useable to visually present said forecasted traffic pattern.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein said routes information is received from a plurality of users.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein said routes information is comprised of a plurality of unique routes, wherein each unique route is provided by a unique user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a providing user provides the routes information by way of a local application running on a machine local to the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a providing user provides the routes information by way of a network-based application that is made accessible locally to the providing user, but runs on a remote computing device.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein the routes information consists of the origin and the destination.

7. The media of claim 1, wherein the routes information consist of the origin, the destination, and the timing information.

8. The media of claim 1, wherein said roadway segment is useable, at least in part, to travel between the origin and the destination.

9. The media of claim 1, wherein the utilizing of the routes information includes incorporating the routes information into a traffic-prediction algorithm.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein an accuracy of the forecasted traffic pattern increases based on the routes information.

11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, facilitate a method of forecasting a traffic pattern, the method comprising:

at a first computing device, identifying a roadway segment, for a user, for which traffic is to be forecasted;

utilizing user provided data (“

routes information”

) to forecast a traffic pattern associated with said roadway segment, wherein the routes information is comprised of indications of anticipated traffic routes characterized by the following,

(1) a geographic origination point (“

origination”

); and

(2) a geographic destination point (“

destination”

), and

communicating, to a remote computing device remote from the first computing device an indication of said forecasted traffic pattern for said roadway segment to the user.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein identifying a roadway segment includes receiving a roadway-segment indication of said roadway segment from a user.

13. The media of claim 11, wherein identifying a roadway segment includes identifying said roadway segment based on said routes information.

14. The media of claim 11, wherein identifying a roadway segment is performed, at least in part, utilizing a traffic-prediction algorithm that accesses the routes information and evaluates demographic information of the user to identify the roadway segment.

15. The media of claim 11, wherein demographic data associated with the user is utilized, in part, to identify the roadway segment.

16. The media of claim 11, wherein the routes information is stored in a database that is remote from the user and that is accessible independent of the remote computing device.

17. The media of claim 11, wherein the indication of anticipated traffic routes is further comprised of timing information that describes a time of anticipated travel from said origination to said destination.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, facilitate a method of forecasting a traffic pattern, the method comprising:

at a first computing device, receiving an indication of anticipated-route information (“

routes information”

), wherein each indication of route information was initially provided by a user from a plurality of users, said routes information is characterized by,

(1) a geographic origination point (“

origination”

);

(2) a geographic destination point (“

destination”

); and

(3) timing information that describes a time of anticipated travel from said origination to said destination,

identifying a roadway segment for which traffic is to be forecasted, wherein said identifying is accomplished utilizing said routes information and demographic data associated with the user;

utilizing the routes information and the demographic data associated with the plurality of users to forecast a traffic pattern associated with said roadway segment, thereby resulting in a forecasted traffic pattern; and

communicating a pattern indication of said forecasted traffic pattern to a remote computing device that is remote from the first computing device, wherein said pattern indication is useable to provide an audible indicator or a visual indicator at the remote computing device.

19. The media of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises accessing a database remote to the user that maintains the demographic data associated with the plurality of users.

20. The media of claim 19, wherein the utilizing of the routes information includes incorporating the routes information and the demographic data associated with the plurality of users into a traffic-prediction algorithm, wherein an accuracy of the forecasted traffic pattern increases based on the routes information and the demographic data associated with the plurality of users.