Smart mobile sensor application for road traffic analysis (Tari'ak)

Abstract

Traffic Jam in Lebanon has been an increasingly difficult problem with no reliable solution yet. Nowadays, the increasing popularity of smartphone devices equipped with multiple sensors (GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope) present an unprecedented opportunity to measure traffic, help users route around traffic jams and have a representation of the traffic conditions on the roads in real-time. In this paper, we present a new mobile application “Tari'ak” that intelligently learns about traffic conditions by turning every user into a traffic sensor. This takes place by measuring users' movement, speed, and location. By gathering all this data, the application can learn about traffic conditions in real-time and inform all users about the traffic conditions on the roads. This all takes place automatically without any user interference. If a user is not in transport, the application will power down its GPS use and therefore preserve battery power. Most importantly this prevents fraudulent reports by users reporting traffic manually as is the case with traditional and existing approaches. The result is an application that knows the traffic conditions on all traveled roads in real-time and offers it to users to help them avoid traffic jams. The traffic data can also be used to help users choose the fastest route between any two locations.