Partial Road Closure Detection via Vehicle Speed Deviation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems for detecting partial road closures, such as those caused by roadworks, often rely on inaccurate and outdated third-party data, leading to unreliable information for navigation and route planning.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize positional data from multiple devices to determine average vehicle speeds under non-congested conditions, comparing these speeds to free flow speeds to identify potential roadworks by detecting appreciable reductions in traffic flow, thereby providing accurate and up-to-date information on partial closures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If third-party data (TMC messages, police reports, road agency data) is used to obtain road closure information, then information can be obtained without direct measurement, but the accuracy and timeliness of the data deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses actual vehicle probe data from the navigation system itself to detect and identify road closures, rather than relying on external third-party data sources. The system self-generates accurate road closure information by analyzing speed deviations of vehicles traversing road segments, thereby eliminating the accuracy and timeliness issues associated with third-party data while maintaining information availability
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors vehicle speeds on road segments and compares actual speeds against expected free-flow speeds. When significant deviations are detected, the system generates feedback indicating potential road closures, which can then be used to update routing decisions in real-time, ensuring both information availability and high accuracy through continuous verification
2Device complexity
If third-party road closure data is used, then data collection effort is reduced, but the timeliness and reliability of navigation information deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The navigation system uses its own existing vehicle probe data to detect road closures, eliminating the need for separate data collection systems or partnerships with third-party providers. The system already collects positional and speed data for navigation purposes, and this same data is repurposed to detect road closures, maintaining simplicity while dramatically improving reliability and timeliness
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs multiple functions using the same data infrastructure: navigation routing, traffic condition monitoring, and road closure detection all utilize the same vehicle probe data collection mechanism. This multi-functionality approach avoids duplicating data collection efforts while ensuring consistent, reliable, and timely information across all navigation features
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of identifying navigable stretches that are partially closed, e.g. due to the presence of roadworks,in a navigable network within a geographic area. A server obtains positional data relating to the movement of a plurality of devices along a navigable stretch with respect to time in a given time period, wherein the time period is a period of non-congested traffic flow. The positional data is used to determine an average speed of travel along the navigable stretch in the given time period. The determined average speed of travel is compared to a free flow speed for the navigable stretch, and the navigable stretch is identified as being partially closed when the determined average speed of travel is lower than the free flow speed by a predetermined value.