Weather Event Detection Using Vehicle Probe Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing traffic monitoring systems fail to accurately identify navigable elements affected by adverse weather conditions, often attributing reduced traffic flow to congestion events when it may be caused by weather factors, leading to incomplete or misleading information for drivers and navigation systems.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize weather data and live positional data from vehicles to determine if traffic flow reductions on navigable elements are due to adverse weather conditions by comparing current speeds to free flow speeds and applying specific thresholds, generating data indicative of weather events when the reduction is below congestion event thresholds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traffic flow reduction is attributed to congestion events using existing monitoring systems, then traffic information can be provided to users, but the accuracy of identifying the actual cause (weather conditions vs. congestion) deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments traffic flow reduction analysis into two distinct categories: congestion events and weather-related events. By applying different threshold criteria and analysis methods to each category, the system accurately identifies the specific cause of traffic flow reduction rather than treating all reductions as congestion, thereby improving measurement precision while maintaining information completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces weather parameters (weather data, temperature, precipitation) as additional variables to the traffic flow analysis. By changing the parameters used for analysis from purely traffic-based to include environmental factors, the system can distinguish between congestion and weather-related traffic flow reductions, resolving the contradiction between accuracy and information completeness.
2Measurement precision
If weather data and positional data are integrated to identify weather-affected navigable elements, then accuracy of weather event identification improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes existing traffic monitoring infrastructure multi-functional by enabling it to perform both traditional congestion detection and new weather event identification. The same positional data collection system and analysis platform are used for both purposes, reducing the need for separate dedicated systems and thereby limiting the increase in overall system complexity while improving weather event identification accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary that receives and processes both weather data and positional data from multiple sources. This central intermediary consolidates the complexity of integrating multiple data sources and processing algorithms into a single component, allowing the overall system to achieve high measurement precision without proportionally increasing distributed system complexity.
3Ease of operation
If threshold-based comparison is used to distinguish weather events from congestion, then ease of operation improves, but measurement precision may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses parameter changes (comparing current speed to free flow speed) as the basis for threshold determination. By defining thresholds in terms of speed reduction percentages rather than absolute speed values, the system achieves both ease of operation through simple comparison logic and measurement precision by using a metric that naturally adapts to different road types and traffic conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic thresholds that can be adjusted based on free flow speed conditions. Rather than using fixed speed thresholds, the system calculates thresholds as percentages of free flow speed, making the classification system adaptive to varying traffic conditions while maintaining simple operational logic. This dynamic approach preserves measurement precision across different contexts while keeping the system easy to operate.
Data Source
AI summary
Live vehicle probe data is obtained relating to the movement of vehicles with respect to time along a navigable element. The probe data is used to determine a current speed of travel along the navigable element, which is compared to the free flow speed of travel for the navigable element. When the current speed of travel along the element is reduced relative to the free flow speed for the navigable element by less than a threshold associated with identifying a congestion event, and obtained weather data indicates the navigable element is affected by one or more adverse weather conditions, then a weather event is generated. If the reduction in speed of travel is of a size sufficient to trigger the generation of a congestion event, and obtained weather data again indicates the navigable element is affected by one or more adverse weather conditions, then one or more attributes of the congestion event can be used to determine if the cause of the congestion can be attributed to the adverse weather.