Travel Time Estimation Using Multi-Facility Stop Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional techniques for managing event crowds at transportation facilities, such as bus stations, fail to provide accurate waiting time information to users, leading to increased waiting times due to unclear crowd dynamics and movement patterns.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus that acquires stop information from various facilities along a user's route, estimates the time required to reach a destination by predicting user movements, and provides this information to users through a terminal device, using a system comprising an acquisition unit, estimation unit, and provision unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conventional traffic control systems execute service provision at event facilities, then bus station modes can be switched to allow special buses to depart, but users cannot accurately know the waiting time required to reach their destination
Solution Approach 1:
The system collects stop information from multiple facilities along user routes and feeds this data back to estimate travel time. The acquisition unit gathers stop information from various facilities, the estimation unit processes this feedback data to calculate expected travel time including waiting time, and the provision unit delivers this information to users, creating a closed-loop feedback system that continuously improves accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The estimation unit acts as an intermediary between raw stop information from facilities and the final travel time information provided to users. It processes stop information from multiple sources, synthesizes crowd dynamics data, and transforms this into meaningful travel time estimates that users can understand and use for planning
2Loss of time
If users wait for buses at event facilities, then they can reach their destination, but waiting time increases due to crowd gathering at transportation facilities
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary estimation of travel time before users actually wait at bus stations. By analyzing stop information from multiple facilities in advance, the system calculates expected waiting time and provides this information to users before they arrive at transportation facilities, allowing them to plan accordingly and potentially choose alternative routes or times
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from single-point observation (only at bus stations) to multi-dimensional observation by collecting stop information from multiple facilities along various routes. This spatial expansion allows the system to model crowd dynamics across the entire transportation network, providing more accurate waiting time estimates by considering alternative routes and transfer points
3Measurement precision
If stop information from multiple facilities is collected and processed, then travel time estimation accuracy improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the complex task of travel time estimation into three separate functional units: the acquisition unit that collects stop information from facilities, the estimation unit that processes this data to calculate travel time, and the provision unit that delivers information to users. This segmentation allows each unit to specialize in its specific function, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high estimation accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment includes an acquisition unit, an estimation unit, and a provision unit. The acquisition unit acquires stop information concerning a situation of a stop of a user at a facility on a route from a place of departure to a place of destination. The estimation unit estimates an amount of time required to the place of destination, based on the stop information that is acquired by the acquisition unit. The provision unit provides a content that is based on the amount of time required that is estimated by the estimation unit.