Can smartphone data deliver better traffic stats?

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Susan Miller By Susan Miller,
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By Susan Miller

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The Federal Highway Administration is considering using passively collected data from smartphones and GPS signals to help it make sense of daily traffic volumes.

The Federal Highway Administration is considering using passively collected data to help make sense of daily traffic volumes, including trip origins and destinations data as well as the percentage of travelers using a particular type of transportation.  

In a notice posted on FedBizOpps, FHWA said it is conducting a market research into technology that would use "non-traditionally available data" -- or data streaming from smartphones, GPS signals, vehicle transponders and tracking devices and other sources -- rather than sensors on roadways.

Access to validated data on the number of vehicles of different classes on the nation's roads could reduce costs and increase efficiencies for state and local transportation departments, FHWA said.  Passive collection of data would also reduce the risk to employees and contractors currently employed to set sensors in the road or conduct traffic counts.

The FHWA project would also include development of a technical guide for state and local highway agencies to use to evaluate such methods and data.

Earlier this year, the National Park Service floated a similar idea.  In a July request for information, NPS said it wanted to leverage location-based information from visitors' mobile devices to help develop long-range transportation and visitor use plans.

NEXT STORY: Data shows fewer parking spots relieve congestion

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