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The Business: User Content Drives Community-Enhanced Traffic

December 1, 2008 GPS World

» AVIONICS & TRANSPORTATION

User Content Drives Community-Enhanced Traffic

Starting November 10, drivers in Northern California’s Bay Area began participating in a project that turns their GPS-enabled phones into traffic probes used to collect data on traffic flow and travel times.

The Mobile Millennium pilot project of the University of California at Berkeley is a collaboration between researchers from UC Berkeley’s College of Engineering, the Nokia Research Center in Palo Alto, mapmaker Navteq, and UC Berkeley’s California Center for Innovative Transportation.

Traffic data collected by Navteq receives a boost from drivers.

As of November 20, almost 3,000 volunteers had downloaded the software, though not all have compatible phones. “Over the next weeks, well be adding more models of phones to our list of supported phones,” said Quinn Jacobson, research leader at Nokia Research Center. The pilot will operate for up to six months. Up to 10,000 volunteers can participate.

Besides a compatible GPS-enabled cell phone, particpants need an unlimited data plan and the ability to install and run a Java application, available at the project website. The Java application enables participants to receive real-time traffic data and incident reports for main thoroughfares, as well as collect data. In Northern California, a number of arterials and highways that are not equipped with sensors will begin to show traffic data as more users join the network. While the user-generated content is anonymous, each data point contributes a piece to the traffic picture which can benefit the entire user community.

Valuable Data. “We’re really trying to take this to the next level — community-enhanced traffic,” Jacobson said. “The most valuable source of data for traffic will be from the community of users out there. It’s the only way we can get data on all the roads all the time. The more users we have, the more data we have, and the more coverage we have on those roads.”

Jacobson said they are starting to see incremental data increases now, and hope to see more and more as the number of participants grows. The first phase of the project includes traffic data for highways and major commuter corridors within and between the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento. As more users come online, the researchers expect to have sufficient data to produce information on some arterial routes in the Bay Area and Sacramento.

Traditional traffic monitoring systems include pavement-embedded sensors, roadside radar, or cameras to provide data for changeable message signs or traffic reports. But such systems are costly to install and maintain and so they only cover limited stretches of today’s roads and highways. Using GPS-enabled mobile devices can provide a richer, complementary source of traffic data without the need to invest in expensive new infrastructure. Traffic flow data can be expanded to include city side streets, rural roads, or any roadway where a cell phone can get a signal.

As vehicles pass through the system’s virtual trip lines — geographic markers defined by GPS coordinates — the phones will send anonymous speed and location readings to servers. The data is integrated into traffic models that produce an estimate of traffic flow, then relayed back to the mobile phones and posted online at the website. The system uses digital mapping data from Nokia subsidiary Navteq.

The project is supported by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) through the federal SafeTrip-21 initiative, which seeks technology to improve safety and reduce congestion on the roadways, as well as by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). DOT and Caltrans announced in June that they had set aside $12.4 million for the project. The collaboration between UC Berkeley and the Nokia Research Center is also supported by a seed grant from UC Berkeley’s Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society.

The release of the pilot software comes nine months after researchers put the new technology to its first major road test using Nokia’s N95 GPS-enabled mobile devices placed in 100 cars, according to UC Berkeley. The pilot software is partially based on the prototype version tested during that field experiment.

» LOCATION-BASED SERVICES

TeleNav Takes Shotgun to Connected Market

TeleNav Inc., noted for its GPS navigation service for mobile phones in the United States, has jumped into the connected portable navigation device (PND) market with the TeleNav Shotgun.

TeleNav’s entry comes along at an interesting time. While some market researchers claim that a real-time data connection is the most desired feature among PND users — TeleNav cites one such study from JD Power — others suggest the market hasn’t developed enough, and that many consumers don’t want to pay additional monthly fees for the services a connected PND offers; this would seem to be borne out by PND makers that have begun to offer free real-time traffic data service. Market researchers in this latter camp further suggest users who desire a connected PND would be more likely to use their existing cell phone to connect their PND via Bluetooth on an as-needed basis, given the opportunity.

The Shotgun’s heart is an Atlas III GPS receiver from
SiRF Technology.

Cellular Struggles. Device makers have also struggled with incorporating cellular technology in their devices, but whether that is because of market forces or technical integration issues depends on whom one asks. After launching the Dash Express PND to much market fanfare early this year, Dash Navigation announced in November that it was ceasing production of its hardware to focus on the service side of its business. Meanwhile Magellan has reportedly suspended development of its forthcoming connected PND, while Garmin has delayed the introduction of its Nüviphone until next year; it was originally slated for the third quarter of this year.

TeleNav obviously feels the time is ripe in spite of others’ troubles in this market space. “Connected navigation means your device won’t have a limited shelf life,” said HP Jin, TeleNav president, CEO, and co-founder of TeleNav. “Using a PND without a connection is like using a laptop without an Internet connection. It limits you to information that resides on the device. Business travelers need to stay connected in order to stay productive and up to date.”

TeleNav acknowledged that some users find mobile phones and PNDs complementary to one another, but suggested those power users would still find need for a directly connected PND.

“We’re leveraging our experience and success with connected cell phone GPS navigation to provide the best in connected PNDs,” Jin said. “Now we offer our customers both options. The wireless connectivity of TeleNav Shotgun means they get the same features and conveniewnce that they’re familiar with in TeleNav GPS Navigator, with the added value of a larger screen.”

Through TeleNav Connected Service, TeleNav Shotgun monitors traffic conditions along drivers’ routes and searches for congestion or incidents, according to the company. Users will be alerted to traffic delays, both audibly and on-screen, and can choose an alternative route to their location. Users can also access specific incident information and determine the traffic speed/flow of major highways along their route, TeleNav says. Shotgun also displays an updated estimated time of arrival based on traffic, speeds and distance.

TeleNav Connected Service also keeps maps (provided by Tele Atlas) and local search data up to date, according to the company. The Shotgun comes with 11 million points of interest (POIs); categories include restaurants, hotels, airports, Wi-Fi hot spots, and regular gas price updates. A customer can also type in the name of a specific business, TeleNav says; business listings include phone numbers.

Users can also preplan trips, save addresses and manage accounts online, saving locations to a favorites folder, which is automatically downloaded to their device the next time it is turned on. TeleNav also has a browser plug-in for Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Google toolbars so users can send addresses to their TeleNav Shotgun from any web page, according to the company.

TeleNav says it has several other services in development, including restaurant reviews, address sharing, weather, and commute information.

TeleNav Shotgun retails for a suggested $299 and includes three months of free TeleNav Connected Service. Beyond that, options for service include a one-year plan ($129), two-year plan ($239), and month-to-month service ($11.99). The Shotgun can still be used for turn-by-turn navigation without a subscription to the TeleNav Connected Service, the company said.

— Jeff Chappell

» AGRICULTURE

Trimble Expands Ag with Tru Count

Trimble has acquired the assets of privately held Tru Count Inc., a manufacturer of air and electric clutches that are compatible with Trimble’s GPS guidance technology and are used on agricultural planters.

Trimble did not disclose the financial terms of the acquisition of the Ames, Iowa-based company that will become part of Trimble’s agriculture division. Tru Count manufactures and distributes air and electric clutches that work on a variety of planters, regardless of make or model, according to Trimble. The Tru Count Air Clutch is placed on each planter row and is controlled with compressed air — pneumatically from the tractor cab by a GPS system or manual controller. The technology makes it easier for farmers to avoid over planting seed and can save considerable input costs, the company says.The acquisition positions Trimble to support the flow control and application market, according to Trimble.

» EVENT

GPS-Wireless 2009
February 4–5, 2009
San Mateo Marriott Hotel, San Francisco, California

The mobile information technology market is growing as millions of portable navigation systems are being sold worldwide. Will the PND continue to reign supreme, or will the handset take over as the top navigation and information device? Find out who will win — and why — at GPS Wireless 2009.

Either way, the largest automotive manufacturers, wireless carriers, global positioning system providers, software companies are finding ways to get information into a vehicle or a mobile device such as a PND — whether that be traffic information, location-based e-commerce, navigation, or emergency services. In addition, find out the hottest markets for personal navigation systems, enterprise, and security products.

More than 200 mobile information professionals from the largest automobile manufacturers, wireless carriers, mobile electronics vendors, homeland defense, and computer companies are expected to attend this 13th annual conference, sponsored by Global Technology Communications Inc. (GTCI). The conference features nearly 40 speakers from the top companies. Visit the website to find out how to speak, sponsor, or attend.

Reduced attendee rates are available until January 9, 2009.

» AVIONICS & TRANSPORTATION

GPS/WAAS Approaches Outnumber ILS at Airports

GPS/WAAS-based approaches have surpassed the number of traditional Category-I Instrument Landing System (ILS)-based approaches at U.S. airports, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The FAA has now published 1,333 Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance (LPV) approach procedures, which are based on the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the satellite-based augmentation system for GPS. That number, reached in September, surpassed the number of approach procedures based on Category-I ILS, LPV’s ground-based predecessor.

Category-I ILS has been used for decades at airports throughout the National Airspace System (NAS) to guide aircraft to as low as 200 feet above a runway surface. WAAS, commissioned just five years ago, now provides this same capability, but at more runway ends. Today, WAAS LPVs can be found at 833 airports and that number will grow. The FAA’s goal is to produce 500 additional WAAS procedures each year until every qualified runway in the NAS has one. WAAS has also enabled a new approach capability, which will be introduced in 2009.

Since the WAAS signal is broadcast from space, ground-based equipment doesn’t need to be installed and maintained at an airport, such as that needed for an ILS.Safety is improved as more aircraft are provided with vertically guided approaches and improved flight planning options enabled by WAAS.

» SYSTEM DESIGN & TEST

u-blox Picks iFEN Simulator for Galileo Testing

u-blox AG has selected the NavX-NCS, a multi-constellation and multi-frequency GNSS RF navigation constellation simulator from IFEN GmbH, as the Galileo reference for its receiver development and testing.

u-blox, which launched the first GPS and Galileo receiver for mass market applications in 2006, selected the NavX-NCS to further expand its product portfolio of receiver chips and modules. Applications that can be tested on the NavX-NCS include those for high-precision surveying, mass market products, and safety of life. “IFEN’s product offering is a perfect match with our needs, as the simulator is very flexible in its use and can be upgraded when necessary,” said Clemen Buergi, vice president of software development at u-blox.

NavX-NCS is the first product in a new generation of GNSS products from IFEN, based in Poing, Germany. The NavX-NCS supports all present and future Galileo and GPS frequencies in one box, including E1/L1, L2C, E5ab/L5, and E6. With its forthcoming GLONASS L1 capabilities, the NavX-NCS is a complete laboratory testing device, enabling testing of Galileo, GPS, and GLONASS signals.

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