Cell Phone Signals Used to Map Traffic

Sept. 15, 2006 — Collections of anonymous cell phone signals are being used to create real-time traffic congestion maps.

The Traffic Aid system, developed by Atlanta-based IntelliOne, could not only warn drivers of traffic snarls, but also help emergency responders zero in on accidents or choose the best evacuation routes during disasters.

"You can speak to the system and ask it to locate you and then receive driving directions around traffic," said IntelliOne CEO, Ron Herman.

According to Herman, wireless carriers such as T-mobile and Cingular may use the technology to offer personalized traffic navigation systems on cell phones by late 2007.

The service differs from other route-planning systems such as those that rely on GPS because instead of tracking just the user's mobile phone, it's able to track many, said Ken Hyers, a senior analyst at the market research firm ABI Research, headquartered in Oyster Bay, New York.

This allows the system to not only route, but to reroute drivers — a service not currently offered on mobile phones.

The technology takes advantage of signals sent automatically from cell phones as frequently as twice per second to nearby towers. If a signal going to one tower starts getting weak, it is automatically switched to another tower, so that a call isn't dropped.

The data is transmitted over a channel that does not carry voice information, so conversations cannot be eavesdropped on.

Through partnerships with wireless carriers, IntelliOne is able to install its own computers at key cellular network hubs.

"What makes IntelliOne interesting is that they have the potential to roll out a nationwide network to gather the information and supply it to the various companies that are producing [navigation] systems," said Hyers.

Such a network would offer consistency in service, be more cost-effective to deploy and, ultimately, cheaper for the customer, said Hyers.

At the cellular network hubs, the IntelliOne computers monitor the signal measurement reports coming from cell phones. Software assigns a random number to each phone.

The software is also able to use the measurement reports, which are being sent simultaneously to several towers at once, to pinpoint the location of the cell phone on a grid.

The program assigns a latitude and longitude to the cell phone. If the phone is moving, the program is able to tell how fast and in what direction.

By aggregating the location and speed of all phones in service area, the software is able to show traffic congestion.

A person with the Traffic Aid software on their mobile phone will see the information as color-coded routes laid over a digital map of a city. The driver can take another route or ask the software for a recommendation.

Traffic Aid will also allow users to record their favorite routes to work, school, or other places. If those routes become congested, the system will suggest an alternative.

Traffic Aid will be deployed in Toronto, Ontario Canada by February of 2007 and should be in 50 of the largest U.S. cities by the end of that year.