Nokia Offers Free Real Time Traffic Information to Users with GPS-enabled Mobile Devices
Drivers with GPS-enabled mobile phones can soon tap into new technology that promises to transform traffic monitoring. This was announced by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and it is a joint effort with Nokia Research Center. All is now set to publicly release the pilot software that turns cellular devices into mobile traffic probes providing real-time information on traffic flow and travel times.
As part of this Mobile Millennium project, anyone can download the free software at traffic.berkeley.edu. It will work on most GPS-enabled cell phones operating on GSM networks - such as AT&T and T-mobile - that are capable of installing and running Java applications. The Web site will be continually updated with a list of specific Nokia and non-Nokia phone models compatible with the software. Because of the large amount of data transmitted by the system, researchers recommend that participants have an unlimited data plan.
As vehicles pass through the system's virtual trip lines - geographic markers defined by GPS coordinates - the phones will send anonymous speed and location readings to servers. The data will be integrated into traffic models that produce an estimate of traffic flow, then relayed back to the mobile phones and posted online at traffic.berkeley.edu.
Speaking on the ocassion, Henry Tirri, vice president and head of Nokia Research Center, said "Traffic is very common problem anywhere in the world and it affects issues such as energy consumption and carbon footprint. We want to show what you can do with pervasive sensing of the environment through millions of phones that people carry every day."
The first phase of the Mobile Millennium system launch will include traffic data for highways, which includes major commuter corridors within and between the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento. As more users come online, the researchers expect to have sufficient data to produce information on some arterial routes in the Bay Area and Sacramento.
During the first month of the pilot, software downloads will be limited to manage capacity. Additional information about supported GPS-enabled mobile phones will be posted. By April 2009, the researchers expect to reach the estimated pilot system capacity of 10,000 users.
As part of this Mobile Millennium project, anyone can download the free software at traffic.berkeley.edu. It will work on most GPS-enabled cell phones operating on GSM networks - such as AT&T and T-mobile - that are capable of installing and running Java applications. The Web site will be continually updated with a list of specific Nokia and non-Nokia phone models compatible with the software. Because of the large amount of data transmitted by the system, researchers recommend that participants have an unlimited data plan.
As vehicles pass through the system's virtual trip lines - geographic markers defined by GPS coordinates - the phones will send anonymous speed and location readings to servers. The data will be integrated into traffic models that produce an estimate of traffic flow, then relayed back to the mobile phones and posted online at traffic.berkeley.edu.
Speaking on the ocassion, Henry Tirri, vice president and head of Nokia Research Center, said "Traffic is very common problem anywhere in the world and it affects issues such as energy consumption and carbon footprint. We want to show what you can do with pervasive sensing of the environment through millions of phones that people carry every day."
The first phase of the Mobile Millennium system launch will include traffic data for highways, which includes major commuter corridors within and between the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento. As more users come online, the researchers expect to have sufficient data to produce information on some arterial routes in the Bay Area and Sacramento.
During the first month of the pilot, software downloads will be limited to manage capacity. Additional information about supported GPS-enabled mobile phones will be posted. By April 2009, the researchers expect to reach the estimated pilot system capacity of 10,000 users.
posted by Solomon at 10:24 PM
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