Road Segment Weather Indexing for Traffic Forecasting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current weather information systems do not provide weather data in a format specific to road segments, making it difficult to use for traffic forecasting, routing, and navigation, as they are typically formatted for geographic grids rather than road segments.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that maps weather data to defined road segments for various time periods using historic, real-time, and forecast weather information sources, generating weather indexes that can be used for traffic analysis and forecasting, navigation, and routing by processing weather information with weights and thresholds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If weather data is collected from multiple dispersed sources, then the completeness of weather information is improved, but the complexity of processing and correlating this data with road segments increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the weather data processing by creating separate modules for data collection, processing, and mapping. Each weather source is processed independently and then correlated with road segments through a standardized indexing system, reducing the overall complexity while maintaining completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a weather index as an intermediary that bridges weather data and road segments. This index serves as a common reference framework that correlates dispersed weather sources with specific road segments, simplifying the processing complexity while maintaining information completeness.
2Area of stationary object
If weather data is provided for geographic grids, then the coverage area is improved, but the usefulness for specific road segment analysis deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the geographic grid into road segment-specific weather indexes. By dividing the continuous geographic coverage into discrete road segment units, the system maintains broad area coverage while providing specific, actionable weather information for each segment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by customizing weather indexes for each road segment based on its specific geographic characteristics and weather patterns. This allows the system to maintain comprehensive geographic coverage while providing locally relevant weather information tailored to each segment's unique properties.
3Measurement precision
If historical traffic data is analyzed to model traffic conditions, then the accuracy of traffic forecasting is improved, but the computational resources and time required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-processing and organizing historical traffic data into structured formats before it is needed for forecasting. This pre-organization reduces computational time during actual traffic modeling while maintaining forecast accuracy through preserved data relationships.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes parameters by transforming raw historical traffic data into processed traffic indexes that are more suitable for computational analysis. This parameter transformation reduces computational complexity and time requirements while maintaining or improving forecast accuracy through enhanced data representativeness.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for generating a weather index mapped to a road segment for a particular time frame includes receiving weather condition information for a plurality of time periods, parsing the weather condition information to determine weather conditions for a road segment defined by a starting point and an ending point for the plurality of time periods, and generating a plurality of weather indices for the road segment. Each weather index is associated with one of the plurality of time periods and is representative of a predicted traffic impact based on historical information of the received weather conditions for the road segment. The plurality of time periods includes at least one future time period and the weather condition information includes forecasted weather information.