1. Real-Time Traffic Maps for the Internet and Mobile Devices Kirk Goldsberry Oregon State University February 20, 2007

2. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Who am I? Kirk Goldsberry, PhD candidate, UCSB I study the influence of design variables on traveler information 2 Scientific Communities: GIScience Transportation Science

3. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series GeoVisualization Interactivity Dynamic displays Decision Support Revealing unknowns Personalizing views The map reader vs. the map user

4. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Today: Looking at Traffic Maps Background - the traffic problem Data collection strategies Around the world in traffic maps Design issues with traffic maps

5. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Congestion is bad… and getting worse Los Angeles has the worst traffic in the USA (Shrank and Lomax, 2006) 2005 Travel rate index 1.75 What is that? Congestion occurs more often and during more parts of the day everywhere in the US

6. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Traffic and GeoVisualization Traffic is dynamic, often unpredictable, and inherently geographic Unlike traditional cartography, GeoVis can deal with streaming geographic information

7. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Breaking News The President is proposing new ways to reduce highway congestion FY2008 proposed budget (2-5-07) A new $175 million highway congestion initiative That strategy would include … faster deployment of real- time traffic information. The goals of the initiative are to test new ways to mitigate congestion, evaluate the benefits and costs of these approaches, and determine if they can be applied in other parts of the country.

8. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Goals of my research… 1. To create a superior traffic map for Los Angeles Clear and legible on small-screens intuitive, efficient A useful wayfinding aid 2. To explore the role of human subjects in the map design phase

9. Data Collection Strategies To make real-time maps, we need real-time data

10. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series 2 Traffic data collection approaches 1. Macroscopic data collection Measuring conditions at fixed network locations - sensors, and loop detectors 2. Microscopic data collection Measuring agents progress along network links - cell phones

11. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Macroscopic … Loop detectors in pavement Example: California Data from the California Freeway Measurement Project (PeMS) 5-minute aggregates Speed, flow, occupancy Text files stored on FTP at UC Berkeley Yahoo, Google, Sigalert, Traffic.com

12. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Microscopic… Measuring individual dynamic agents within network The wave of the future Employs GPS enabled mobile phones Privacy issues Examples - Baltimore, Atlanta, Rome

13. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Baltimore Metro Council 2004

14. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series MITs Real-time Rome project

15. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Georgia Techs Commute Atlanta Project

16. Around the world in traffic maps A quick tour of the worlds most popular traffic visuals…

17. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Traffic Information Resources Radio and television reports Personal traffic mythologies Mental traffic atlases Internet traffic maps Why havent current maps caught on? Lets have a look-see

22. The Bay Area

23. Portland, Oregon

24. Seattle

25. Tokyo

26. Moscow

27. Athens

28. Paris

29. London

30. Design Issues with Traffic Maps Critical design decisions that will influence map interpretations and wayfinding behavior

31. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Designing Traffic Maps Legend Design Symbolization Interpolation Classification of velocity data Incorporating travel time information Designing for the small screen

32. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Symbolization of Traffic The Stoplight Metaphor versus Cartographic Principle

33. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Interpolation Data is collected at fixed locations or at fixed times

34. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Classification of velocity data

35. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series How fast is traffic? At what average velocity does congestion begin at?

36. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series

37. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series

38. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Findings Classification influences map interpretation People dont consistently equate velocity with traffic congestion A large group of map readers leans on symbols more than their associated numerical ranges

41. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Incorporating travel time 2007 distance

42. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Incorporating travel time 2007 distance Isochrone lines connect points of equal travel time Like contour lines but with travel time

43. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Designing for the small screen

44. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Designing for the small screen Even more challenges for traffic map design Less space Lower screen resolution Dimmer displays

45. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Up the road, this morning

46. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Prototype Design Experiment A new real-time traffic map for LA Question: Is SVG viable, will it hold up? Question: Can we apply findings from HS experiments to map design?

47. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Token code slide if (myMapApp.trafficData[id]) { if (myMapApp.trafficData[id].speed) { if (myMapApp.trafficData[id].speed <= 30) { lineColor = "red"; } else if (myMapApp.trafficData[id].speed > 30 && myMapApp.trafficData[id].speed <= 45) { lineColor = "yellow"; } else if (myMapApp.trafficData[id].speed > 45) { lineColor = "green";

48. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Prototype Design Status SVG holds up We can apply human subjects findings to the design Its Alive!

49. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Its Alive!

50. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Major design issues with traffic maps Clarity and legibility Classification of velocity data Portability and versatility

51. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Conclusions Design decisions influence human travel behavior User-centered design can benefit the product

52. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Conclusions Design decisions influence human travel behavior User-centered design can benefit the product Geovisualization can enhance the road maps of the future

53. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Thanks OSU Geosciences Dr. Dawn Wright L.L. Stewart Faculty Development Fund IGERT

54. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Future Directions GIScience: Design principles for mobile cartography User-centered design approaches

55. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Future Directions GIScience: Design principles for mobile cartography User-centered design approaches Transportation Science: Evacuation graphics for large cities Maps in ATIS

56. Feb 20 2007 Oregon State University: Department of Geosciences: 2007 Winter Seminar Series Future Directions GIScience: Design principles for mobile cartography User-centered design approaches Transportation Science: Evacuation graphics for large cities Maps in ATIS