CROWD SOURCED TRAFFIC REPORTING

• US 20120123667A1
• Filed: 11/14/2011
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pelmorex Canada Inc.
• Inventors: Guéziec, André
• Granted Patent: US 8,718,910 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/119
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• 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 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

A traffic reporting service may allow for the generation of more reliable and accurate traffic reports, maps, and forecasts based on various data types and sources. Data sources include public sector sources, private entities, and end users providing crowd sourced data. Crowd sourced data is collected, verified, and used to generate a traffic report which is displayed to a user via a computing device. A user may use various information presented in the traffic report to make informed decisions when choosing travel routes and a departure time to reach a desired destination.

Claims

1. A method for generating a traffic report, comprising:

receiving crowd sourced data from a computing device associated with a user traversing a travel route, the crowd sourced data including location data and speed data associated with the user;

executing instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor;

verifies timeliness of the crowd sourced data,

generates a traffic report based on the crowd sourced data, and

displays the traffic report on the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving traffic data from an information source, the traffic data including real-time speed data for the travel route;

and wherein the execution of instructions by the processor further generates the traffic report based on the traffic data received from the information source.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the traffic report includes a trip time prediction for traversing the travel route.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the traffic report includes a recommended departure time for traversing the travel route.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the crowd sourced data further includes floating car data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the crowd sourced data further includes incident data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the crowd sourced data further includes a timestamp.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information source is a public sector source.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the information source is a private sector source.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein generation of the traffic report is further based on weather data.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving authorization from a user to transmit crowd sourced data from the computing device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the execution of instructions by the processor further generates a traffic alert concerning the travel route and transmits the traffic alert to the computing device.

13. A system for traffic reporting, comprising:

memory that stores crowd sourced data received from a computing device associated with a user traversing a travel route,

an application server that;

verifies timeliness of the crowd sourced data,

generates a traffic report based on the crowd sourced data, and

displays the traffic report on the computing device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the memory further stores traffic data from an information source, the traffic data including real-time speed data for the travel route.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied there on a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for generating a traffic report, the method comprising:

receiving crowd sourced data from a user traversing a travel route, the crowd sourced data including location data and speed data associated with the user;

verifying timeliness of the crowd sourced data,

generating a traffic report based on the crowd sourced data, and

displaying the traffic report.