BACKGROUND

Providing data on traffic anomalies or incidents (e.g., abnormalities in traffic that can affect traffic flow such as accidents, lane closures, road closures, etc.) is an important function for map service providers. While most traffic anomalies can have at least some negative impact on traffic, road closures can be the most severe because vehicles are unable to travel through the affected roadway. Moreover, the lack of knowledge, particularly real-time knowledge, about a road closure can have an enormous negative impact on a user's trip planning, routing, and/or estimated time of arrival. Obtaining up-to-date traffic information regarding road closures is particularly challenging. For example, service providers often leverage municipality dispatches (e.g., road closure reports), web scraping, police reports, local news, etc. to determine road closure traffic information. However, the information can quickly become out of date and, therefore, not particularly useful. Moreover, the information from these sources is often limited to popular roads and highways and, therefore, difficult to scale to the vast road networks commonly experienced today. Further, trying to update and/or adapt this information in real time may require considerable human interaction (e.g., human observation and/or verification). Therefore, service providers face significant technical challenges to provide up-to-date road closure traffic information that is scalable and that requires minimum human interaction.

SOME EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Therefore, there is a need for detecting road closures programmatically by monitoring probe activity with minimal human interaction.

According to one embodiment, a computer-implemented method for determining a closure status of a road segment based on probe data comprises generating a historical model of expected probe activity on the road segment based on historical probe data. The method also comprises monitoring observed probe activity from the road segment. The method further comprises calculating a probability of the observed probe activity based on the historical model of the expected probe activity. The method further comprises determining the closure status of the road segment based on the probability.

According to another embodiment, an apparatus for determining a closure status of a road segment based on probe data comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory including computer program code for one or more computer programs, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause, at least in part, the apparatus to determine a baseline probe activity for the road segment based on the probe data. The apparatus is also caused to monitor observed probe activity from the road segment. The apparatus is further caused to calculate a likelihood of the observed probe activity from the baseline probe activity. The apparatus is further caused to determine the closure status of the road segment based on the likelihood.

According to another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for determining a closure status of a road segment based on probe data carries one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause, at least in part, an apparatus to generate a closure model for the road segment, wherein the closure model indicates no probe activity or probe activity below a closure threshold on the road segment. The apparatus is also caused to monitor observed probe activity from the road segment. The apparatus if further caused to calculate a probability of the observed probe activity based on the closure model. The apparatus is further caused to determine the closure status of the road segment based on the probability.

According to another embodiment, an apparatus for determining a closure status of a road segment based on probe data comprises means for generating a historical model of expected probe activity on the road segment based on historical probe data. The apparatus also comprises means for monitoring observed probe activity from the road segment. The apparatus further comprises means for calculating a probability of the observed probe activity based on the historical model of the expected probe activity. The apparatus further comprises means for determining the closure status of the road segment based on the probability.

In addition, for various example embodiments of the invention, the following is applicable: a method comprising facilitating a processing of and/or processing (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal, the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal based, at least in part, on (or derived at least in part from) any one or any combination of methods (or processes) disclosed in this application as relevant to any embodiment of the invention.

For various example embodiments of the invention, the following is also applicable: a method comprising facilitating access to at least one interface configured to allow access to at least one service, the at least one service configured to perform any one or any combination of network or service provider methods (or processes) disclosed in this application.

For various example embodiments of the invention, the following is also applicable: a method comprising facilitating creating and/or facilitating modifying (1) at least one device user interface element and/or (2) at least one device user interface functionality, the (1) at least one device user interface element and/or (2) at least one device user interface functionality based, at least in part, on data and/or information resulting from one or any combination of methods or processes disclosed in this application as relevant to any embodiment of the invention, and/or at least one signal resulting from one or any combination of methods (or processes) disclosed in this application as relevant to any embodiment of the invention.

For various example embodiments of the invention, the following is also applicable: a method comprising creating and/or modifying (1) at least one device user interface element and/or (2) at least one device user interface functionality, the (1) at least one device user interface element and/or (2) at least one device user interface functionality based at least in part on data and/or information resulting from one or any combination of methods (or processes) disclosed in this application as relevant to any embodiment of the invention, and/or at least one signal resulting from one or any combination of methods (or processes) disclosed in this application as relevant to any embodiment of the invention.

In various example embodiments, the methods (or processes) can be accomplished on the service provider side or on the mobile device side or in any shared way between service provider and mobile device with actions being performed on both sides.

For various example embodiments, the following is applicable: An apparatus comprising means for performing a method of the claims.

Still other aspects, features, and advantages of the invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description, simply by illustrating a number of particular embodiments and implementations, including the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention. The invention is also capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details can be modified in various obvious respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

