Those much-maligned cellular phones in automobiles could actually help drivers get to their destinations faster with a concept being tested and evaluated by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The idea is to use signals being transmitted by the phones, aggregate them and predict traffic conditions using that information. U.S. Cellular will provide raw cellular phone usage data to the National Transportation Research Center, where researchers will use the information to estimate average speed and congestion along various portions of arterial roads and highways. Eventually, traffic reports could be posted on a Web site, broadcast on the radio or transmitted to roadside electronic signs. Partners in the project initiated by the Knoxville Transportation Planning Organization are NTRC Inc., AirSage of Atlanta, InterCode Technologies of Knoxville and Pellissippi State Technical Community College. Those much-maligned cellular phones in automobiles could actually help drivers get to their destinations faster with a concept being tested and evaluated by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The idea is to use signals being transmitted by the phones, aggregate them and predict traffic conditions using that information. U.S. Cellular will provide raw cellular phone usage data to the National Transportation Research Center, where researchers will use the information to estimate average speed and congestion along various portions of arterial roads and highways. Eventually, traffic reports could be posted on a Web site, broadcast on the radio or transmitted to roadside electronic signs. Partners in the project initiated by the Knoxville Transportation Planning Organization are NTRC Inc., AirSage of Atlanta, InterCode Technologies of Knoxville and Pellissippi State Technical Community College.
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