Visualization of traffic patterns using GPS data

• US 9,070,296 B1
• Filed: 02/25/2014
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kadous, Mohammed Waleed, Lookingbill, Andrew, Arfvidsson, Joakim Kristian Olle
• Primary Examiner(s): CAMBY, RICHARD M
• Application Number:
  US14/189,933
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 701/408, 701/409, 701/412, 701/418, 701/422, 701/423, 701/439, 701/450, 701/452, 701/482, 701/489, 701/118, 701/119
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

Maps are created that display representations of GPS data generated from a plurality of GPS devices. The GPS data received from the GPS devices is embodied as a representation having descriptive features that visually indicate the location, direction of travel, and speed of travel of the GPS device, and the representation is associated with a road segment on the map. The display of the GPS data from a plurality of GPS devices can be used for editing information about roads on maps and determining preferred routes.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating a map for display, comprising:

receiving a plurality of GPS samples from a plurality of GPS devices, each GPS sample comprising a location, a direction of travel and a speed of travel of a GPS device from which the GPS sample is received;

associating selected GPS samples with respective road segments on a map based on the location and the direction of travel in each selected GPS sample;

identifying a turn restriction on a road segment of the map based on a plurality of directions of travel from GPS samples associated with the road segment; and

generating, for display, a map containing the road segment, the road segment labeled with the identified turn restriction.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the map generated for display further contains a plurality of representations based on the GPS samples associated with the road segment, a generated representation visually indicating the direction of travel and the speed of travel for the GPS device that provided the GPS sample, the method further comprising assigning a graphical attribute of the representation to a physical attribute based on the GPS sample.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising assigning a color to the generated representation, wherein the color represents the direction of travel.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the generated representation is an arrow.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein a length of the arrow represents the speed of travel associated with the GPS sample.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from a user viewing the display an indication of a permitted direction of travel on the road segment; and

assigning the direction of travel to the road segment.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from a user viewing the display an indication of a one-way road; and

assigning a one-way direction of travel to the road segment.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from a user viewing the display an indication of an average speed for the road segment; and

assigning the average speed to the road segment.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from a user viewing the display an indication of a stop signal on the road segment; and

assigning the stop signal to the road segment.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from a user viewing the display an indication of a level of traffic associated with the road segment; and

assigning the traffic level to the road segment.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from a user viewing the display an indication of the road segment as a preferred route of travel; and

assigning the road segment as the preferred route of travel.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a direction of travel for the road segment based on a plurality of directions of travel from GPS samples associated with the road segment.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying a one-way road based on the determined direction of travel of the road segment.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an average speed of the road segment based on a plurality of speeds of travel from GPS samples associated with the road segment.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a stop signal on the road segment based on a plurality of speeds of travel from GPS samples associated with the road segment.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein associating the selected GPS samples to the respective road segments is based upon a log probability of the association of a given GPS sample to a given road segment.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein identifying the turn restriction comprises:

automatically flagging the turn restriction on the road segment responsive to a threshold amount of the plurality of representations indicating a same direction at an intersection on the roads segment.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions for generating a map for display, the computer program instructions executable by a processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving a plurality of GPS samples from a plurality of GPS devices, each GPS sample comprising a location, a direction of travel and a speed of travel of a GPS device from which the GPS sample is received;

associating selected GPS samples with respective road segments on a map based on the location and the direction of travel in each selected GPS sample;

identifying a turn restriction on a road segment of the map based on a plurality of directions of travel from GPS samples associated with the road segment; and

generating, for display, a map containing the road segment, the road segment labeled with the identified turn restriction.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the map generated for display further contains a plurality of representations based on the GPS samples associated with the road segment, a generated representation visually indicating the direction of travel and the speed of travel for the GPS device that provided the GPS sample, the instructions further comprising assigning a color to the generated representation, wherein the color represents the direction of travel.

20. A computer system for generating a map for display, the computer system comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions executable to perform steps comprising;

receiving a plurality of GPS samples from a plurality of GPS devices, each GPS sample comprising a location, a direction of travel and a speed of travel of a GPS device from which the GPS sample is received;

associating selected GPS samples with respective road segments on a map based on the location and the direction of travel in each selected GPS sample;

identifying a turn restriction on a road segment of the map based on a plurality of directions of travel from GPS samples associated with the road segment; and

generating, for display, a map containing the road segment, the road segment labeled with the identified turn restriction; and

a processor for executing the computer program instructions.