System and methods for geoboundary based traffic monitoring using quick tear down boundaries

• US 8,180,559 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2009
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jaffe, Stephen E., Ramanathan, Sri, Terry, Matthew A., Trevathan, Matthew B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beauchaine, Mark
• Application Number:
  US12/371,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20100211300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 701/119, 701/117, 701/200, 701/204, 701/207, 340/933, 340/936, 340/992, 340/994, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/99
• US Class Current: 701/119
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A location based service and method configured to provide a mechanism for delivering traffic information to a subscribing user. The method is implemented on a computing infrastructure and includes setting up geo-boundaries at one or more predefined intervals. The method further includes receiving a signal from an active mobile device as it passes at least two of the geo-boundaries at the one or more predefined intervals, and determining a traffic incident from the received signal.

Claims

1. A method implemented on a computing infrastructure, comprising:

setting up geo-boundaries at one or more predefined intervals;

receiving a signal from an active mobile device as it passes at least two of the geo-boundaries at the one or more predefined intervals;

determining a traffic incident from the received signal and a posted speed limit for a vehicle associated with the active mobile device;

determining an anticipated time for the vehicle to traverse a distance between the at least two of the geo-boundaries by dividing the posted speed limit by the distance;

determining an actual time for the vehicle to traverse the distance; and

determining the traffic incident between the at least two of the geo-boundaries when the actual time is greater than the anticipated time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the traffic incident to a subscribing user in a vicinity of the geo-boundaries.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating an average speed of a vehicle based on a time of receiving the signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the geo-boundaries are traffic zones.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising triggering the active mobile device as it passes the geo-boundaries at one or more predefined intervals in order receive the signal from the active mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering out identification information of the active mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises calculating an average speed of a vehicle based on the signal as the active mobile device passes each of the geo-boundaries and comparing the average speed to an expected speed.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an alternate route.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising adding additional geo-boundaries in order to pinpoint to a finer granularity the traffic incident.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising charging a subscribing user for receipt of the traffic incident.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein location information of a subscribing user is obtained from at least one of a GPS coordinate, A-GPS coordinate and triangulation methodologies.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of claim 1 are provided on a computing infrastructure which is at least one of maintained, deployed, created and supported by a service provider.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of claim 1 are provided on a software component, a hardware component or a combination of the software component and the hardware component.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an average speed of the vehicle between the at least two of the geo-boundaries; and

determining the traffic incident between the at least two of the geo-boundaries when the average speed is slower than the posted speed limit.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining the traffic incident between the at least two of the geo-boundaries upon receipt of information of one or more areas undergoing road maintenance between the at least two of the geo-boundaries.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining another average speed of the vehicle between another two of the geo-boundaries at the one or more predefined intervals; and

determining the traffic incident by comparing the another average speed to the average speed.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having readable program code tangibly embodied in the storage medium, the computer program product being operable to:

set up geo-boundaries at one or more predefined intervals;

receive a signal from an active mobile device as it passes at least two of the geo-boundaries at the one or more predefined intervals;

determine a traffic incident from the received signal and a posted speed limit for a vehicle associated with the active mobile device by calculating an average speed of the vehicle between each of the geo-boundaries at one or more predefined intervals;

identify a location of a subscribing user;

notify the subscribing user in a vicinity of the geo-boundaries at one or more predefined intervals of the traffic incident;

determine an anticipated time for the vehicle to traverse a distance between the at least two of the geo-boundaries by dividing the posted speed limit by the distance;

determine an actual time for the vehicle to traverse the distance; and

determine the traffic incident between the at least two of the geo-boundaries when the actual time is greater than the anticipated time.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer program product is further operable to tear down any of the geo-boundaries.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the setting up geo-boundaries at one or more predefined intervals includes adding geo-boundaries to further pinpoint the traffic incident.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer program product is further operable to add additional geo-boundaries to pinpoint the traffic incident.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer program product is further operable to provide alternate route information to the subscribing user.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer program product is further operable to determine a traffic incident by comparing the average speed to an expected speed.

23. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer program product is provided on a computing infrastructure which is at least one of maintained, deployed, created and supported by a service provider on a fee and/or subscription basis.

24. A method for providing traffic information to one or more users, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

receive a signal from an active mobile device as it passes at least two geo-boundaries at one or more predefined intervals which define a traffic zone;

determine a traffic incident from the received signal and a posted speed limit for a vehicle associated with the active mobile device by calculating an average speed of the vehicle between the geo-boundaries and comparing the average speed to the posted speed limit in the traffic zone;

notify the subscribing user in a vicinity of the traffic zone of the traffic incident;

determine an anticipated time for the vehicle to traverse a distance between the at least two geo-boundaries by dividing the posted speed limit by the distance;

determine an actual time for the vehicle to traverse the distance; and

determine the traffic incident between the at least two geo-boundaries when the actual time is greater than the anticipated time.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the steps are provided on a software component, a hardware component or a combination of the software component and the hardware component.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to charge the subscribing user for the notification.

27. A system comprising:

a location platform having at least hardware configured to;

set up geo-boundaries defining a traffic zone;

receive signals from an active mobile device after it has been triggered by passing the geo-boundaries;

determine a traffic incident by comparing a posted speed limit for a vehicle associated with the active mobile device and an average speed as calculated from the signals;

notify a subscribing user of the traffic incident when the average speed is slower than the posted speed limit;

determine an anticipated time for the vehicle to traverse a distance between at least two of the geo-boundaries by dividing the posted speed limit by the distance;

determine an actual time for the vehicle to traverse the distance; and

determine the traffic incident between the at least two of the geo-boundaries when the actual time is greater than the anticipated time.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the location platform is configured to provide alternate route information to the subscribing user.