SpeedInfo
Doug Finlay
All of us hate being stuck in traffic - and wonder if there was a
better
way to go. SpeedInfo has spent the past two years developing a
system to
provide drivers with radically better traffic information. We give the
driver
a color coded map in the car that shows how fast cars are going on all
of
the major highways in the area. At a glance, the driver can see which
roads
have the slowest traffic, and make an informed decision about when and
where
to drive.
We supplement public highway speed information with data from low-cost
Doppler speed sensors that we have developed. Our sensor is solar
powered,
and uses cellular data connections to backhaul its data. It measures
speeds
every 15 seconds, and reports the average speed once a minute. After
the
data is validated by our servers, it is transmitted to the car over FM
radio.
The design allows us to integrate the data with navigation systems and
newer
car radios for less than $10.
Besides
saving drivers time, money, and gasoline, the system also helps us use
our
highways more efficiently. When cars avoid the most congested areas
during
peak times and choose alternative routes, we do a better job of
balancing
the load across the highway network. Fewer cars stuck in traffic jams
means
less air pollution. Drivers can also respond better in an emergency by
taking
the best route to avoid problem areas.
Doug Finlay, the founder and CEO of SpeedInfo, will give an overview of
the company's technology and product rollout timetable.
Doug Finlay began his talk by explaining that $70 Billion is wasted
every
day in the USA on traffic congestion, one way or another. SpeedInfo was
founded
on the idea that if drivers could get more reliable and timely
information
on where traffic bottlenecks were, they could use alternative routes to
go
around them. He pointed out that just reducing the number of people
trying
to squeeze past an accident by 10% could make a big difference in net
delay
times.
He then explained a bit about the current traffic information system.
It is based on street sensors that have been there for 20 years,
helicopter
traffic reports, and things like volunteers calling in problems as they
become
aware of them. There are many gaps in the street sensor network. Some
of
them were caused by a lack of available phone and power cabling to
connect
I/O to (for example I-280 between San Francisco and San Jose), and
others
are caused by maintenance type issues. One of the problems with
expanding
it is the expense of cutting holes in the concrete to put sensors in,
which
works out to be very disruptive, expensive, and time consuming.
The SpeedInfo solution for data collection is an extruded metal tube
about four inches across and two feet long with a solar panel above it
that
can be easily strapped to a light or telephone pole with metal bands.
Inside
the tube is a set of sealed batteries that can drive the electronics
for
ten years, a sensor that uses technology similar to that in police
radar
guns to sense cars going by, and a proprietary circuit board. Finlay
explained
that the software in the box "glopts" the radar signal into a blob for
each
car, and then measures how far it moves from one frame to the next to
figure
out how fast the traffic is moving. This information is then uploaded
via
a standard cell phone modem to SpeedInfo's server, where it is combined
with
information from others to create a gestalt for the commuter.
The SpeedInfo solution for information distribution is a box about an
inch thick, maybe 5" by 7". Most of the front is taken up by a flat
panel
display, a map that can be scrolled to where the user wants to see the
traffic
situation. The plan is to get a station with a high powered FM
transmitter
like KQED's to broadcast the information, so that it can be picked up
throughout
the area. Finlay explained that many of the companies doing
geosynchronous
mapping equipment are interested in combining SpeedInfo into their
systems
so that car computers can simply pick the best way to get somewhere. He
passed
around the display, and everybody liked the concept.
At the moment SpeedInfo is beta testing their traffic sensors. He
pulled
up the information coming off of ones on I-405 in Orange County, 16th
Street
in Washington, DC, and another in New York City. We could see that
I-405
speeds varied from about 55 to 80 MPH, with most of the readings in the
60-70MPH
range. 16th Street moved much slower, about what you would expect. The
test
units have been on location since last spring. Finlay expects to be
ready
to instrument the Bay Area next spring at the earliest. Partly this
depends
on whom he can make a deal with to get it done. Both CalTrans and 511
have
expressed an interest in the project, but nobody has committed funding
to
it yet.
During Q&A a lot of interesting points were discussed.
The radar sensor has a diode that broadcasts at 24.125 GHz.
Each sensor will cost $600 installed, including the labor of the guy in
the cherry picker strapped it to the pole.
At this point in time he has patents pending on several aspects of the
sensor.
One of the reasons this hasn't been done before is that cell phone
technology
wasn't widely available until recently. This is important because that
is
where they save a lot of cost by eliminating dedicated wiring from the
system.
SpeedInfo would much rather be an information wholesaler than a
retailer.
Because of this they are talking to other companies that already have
the
shelf space and brand recognition to sell to the driving public about
integrating
this into their product line. So far nobody has gone for it yet though.
The main change required for northern latitudes would be a bigger solar
panel.
Rain is not be a problem for the system, although hail might be. One
difficulty SpeedInfo is having is that hailstorms are not common enough
that
any of their sensors have gone through one to test the theory.
Tian Harter