Traffic Information on Mobile Phone, Optus, Australia
Australian mobile network operator Optus has started to monitor road traffic conditions by analysinglocation data collected anonymously from mobile phones. Covering over 70,000 km of roads, theOptus Traffic View system has been commercially available since July 2009 following trials since late2006.
Using ITIS TrafficScience Cellular Floating Vehicle Data (CFVD) technology to sample the locationof a mobile phone over a period of time, Optus can determine the route and velocity at which the phoneis travelling. While an individual record of a mobile phone's position is typically less accurate than thatof a corresponding GPS record, this is compensated for by the large number of mobile phones on anyroad, knowledge of the underlying road network and the application of statistical techniques.An independent quality report produced by the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) has shownthat the system is producing extremely high quality traffic information.
