Anonymous Traffic Probes for Travel Time and O-D using Bluetooth IDs

Traffax Inc. proposes a system based on Bluetooth point-to-point communications to anonymous detect vehicles, establish travel times, and develop accurate Origin & Destination (O-D) matrices. Preliminary research performed at the University of Maryland Center for Advanced Transportation Technology, Indiane Department of Transportation, and Purdue University identified the use of consumer devices containing Bluetooth data communication capabilities as possible anonymous traffic probes. Preliminary experiments indicated that between 5% and 7% of the traffic stream contained a Bluetooth device that could be detected and used as an anonymous traffic probe. Building on this research Traffax prooses to (1) quantify the accuracy with which travel time can be estimated, (2) quantify the penetration rate of Bluetooth devices through controlled sampling at Automated-Traffic Recorder locations, (3) develop software to protect privacy incorporating open source and GNU PGP algorithms, (4) establish the relationship between penetration rate and accuracy of O-D and travel time and (5) demonstrate the utility of this method for monitoring freeways and arterials. This will lay the groundwork for an effective and needed tool for a variety of applications which had not been possible without this technology.