Trafficcast

BlueTOAD (Bluetooth Travel-time Origination And Destination) detects anonymous MAC addresses, wireless identifications used to connect Bluetooth™ technologies on mobile devices in vehicles such as phones, headsets and music players. The system calculates travel time through analysis of subsequent detections.  

Device installations are non-intrusive and are typically completed in under an hour. Travel times and road speeds are available in real-time.  Integration with existing traffic information systems, including overhead signs, web portals and traffic management centers, is straightforward.  All data is archived for robust analysis of speed trends, origin-destination, route patterns, trip length analysis and signal timing studies.

Bluetooth™-enabled devices, such as cell phones, headsets, music players and navigation systems, wirelessly connect employing Media Access Control (MAC) protocols.  These MAC addresses are unique and so ideal as identifiers.  They are not tracked through device production and sales cycles, however, so they are not associated with any specific user account (as is the case with cell phones) or any specific vehicle (as with automated toll tags or License Plate Recognition Systems).  Privacy concerns are virtually eliminated.

• Installation is straightforward; individual technicians can typically install the necessary hardware within an hour.  Configuration of the units in the field is similarly direct.  
• Once they are powered on, units locate themselves via the component GPS antenna and access the cellular network.  Field service technicians are guided through the boot-up process through a sequence of metrics indicated by flashing or static LED lights.  No calibration is necessary.
• Ultimately a blue light flashes, indicating Bluetooth™ detections, showing BlueTOAD is at work, with data delivered to the processing server.

• On the backend, BlueTOAD automatically processes MAC address detections, and matches subsequent detections with their time stamps to determine travel times for BlueTOAD pairs set by the client.
• Average speeds across these road segments are derived from travel times across these road segments, enabling highly responsive data on current roadway performance.

• Clients are provided a secure interface to initiate services, view content, and  manage permissions to access various levels of the data.  

• The standard interface includes maps of active and archived device placements, a dashboard of current travel times & speeds between established BlueTOAD pairs, service status of units in the field, and interactive tools to query archived data.  

 

BlueTOAD is the most advanced traffic-monitoring system on the market, directly and accurately measuring travel times using cost-effective, non-intrusive roadside technology.  BlueTOAD detects anonymous Bluetooth™ signals broadcast from mobile devices inside vehicles and calculates travel times and road speeds from the timestamps of subsequent detections.

As the video illustrates, direction of vehicle movement is automatically determined by time stamps of detections.  BlueTOADs can be positioned to provide travel times on alternate routes, as each device can be matched, or paired, with multiple devices; these pairs can be stitched together to create routes.

 Beyond the roadside devices, the BlueTOAD technology platform securely processes collected data to calculate travel times and speeds in real- time, providing route management capabilities through a private web interface and direct data feeds.  The data is also archived, including travel times, road speeds, and MAC address detection counts, to enable a range of robust planning tools, including Origin-Destination Studies, Trip Length Analysis and Travel Demand Modeling and Signal Timing Optimization.   

 

 

 

• Granular speed data on road sections where traditional sensors are impractical, such as entrance ramps, tunnels and bridges.
• Real-time and forecast comparisons of travel times between designated origin & destinations, to build travel patterns for road planning

• Comprehensive data sampling of driver actions, which can be collected over time periods far beyond what is economically feasible through traditional methods like car counts and rubber strips.
• To more effectively support planning and operations of the road network. Permanent or temporary installation of BlueToad can Monitor expressway exit/entrance patterns, destinations after exit, backup queues and other conditions. For example:
  • Better understanding the seasonal patterns of drivers exiting an expressway to enter a shopping mall could yield a more precise ROI in resolving to enhance the mall interchange vs. building a new exit.
  • BlueToad can help optimize adjustments to traffic light sequencing and ramp metering, with results available in real-time instead of after time consuming drive tests. 
  • Such optimization can continue operationally, with reports of conditions to a traffic operations center, either by rule or exception, without expensive communications infrastructure.  
  • Analysis of archived data supports planning tools such as Trip Length Analysis and Driver Demand Models by accurately capturing patterns of vehicle movements across multiple time periods, such as trends of travel length following entrance to an expressway.
  • Temporary installation to monitor work zones and special events, simplified maintenance replacement for existing sensors
  • Accurate location identification for incident detection.

 

Distributor Name	Locations	Phone
Advanced Traffic Products	Northern California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, Alaska	(425) 347-6208
Control Technologies Inc.	Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC, Florida (Districts 2-3-4-5-6)	(407) 330-2800
Econolite Control Products	Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina and Southern California	(714) 630-3700
Highway Tech Equipment Sales	Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont	(207) 375-8248
Mid American Signal	Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma	(913) 432-5002
Paradigm Traffic Systems	Texas	(817) 831-9406
Signal Control Products	Delaware, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia	(908) 231-1133
Southern Lighting & Traffic Systems	Alabama, Tennessee	(770) 205-9007
Traffic Control Corporation	Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin	(630) 543-1300
Transportation Control Systems	Florida (Districts 1 & 7), Puerto Rico	(813) 630-2800
Utilicom Supply	Georgia	(404) 298-7700
TrafficCast (Direct Sales)	Hawaii	(678) 575-0958
Econolite Canada, Inc.	Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon/NW Terr.	(604) 273-6637

• With standard equipment, BlueTOADs detect signals in a 150 foot radius, or up to six lanes of traffic.  Recommended mounting height is 12-15 feet.  

• Distance between sensors depends upon the configuration of the road and desired information, from ½ of a mile to 10 miles or more, as may be appropriate for limited access roadways.  Typically, BlueTOAD spacing should be kept below 4 miles for optimal results.  

• Batteries and solar panels are virtually maintenance free.  TrafficCast remotely monitors battery voltage in units and the system alerts users if when battery drain indicates insufficient “sun days", perhaps requiring excess snow to be removed from a panel, or in certain locations a larger solar panel.  Based on specifications, expected life of the battery is five to seven years

• BlueTOAD data communications are stable and secure. Data is processed through production servers maintained at the Qwest collocation facility in Chicago, which provides Tier One data communications support and reliability, with industry-leading service level standards to support both live and archive environments.

• BlueTOAD units themselves, in both cellular and Ethernet configurations, are intelligent devices that originate data connections to a specified server. The procedure enables assignment of Dynamic IP addresses for data communications, and minimizes exposure to the web and consequent susceptibility to hackers and other security threats.  While alternative solutions offer simpler technical procedures, they require use of a static IP address, which is more vulnerable to Internet prowlers, hackers and similar vulnerabilities. 

• BlueTOAD data processing involves a set of sophisticated algorithms that recognize detection matches which do not fit with the flow of traffic represented by the majority of Bluetooth pairs, such as pedestrians, buses and other outliers.

• Travel times and speeds from BlueTOAD are not determined from a single detection match but instead factor an on-going real-time analysis of multiple matches.  This filtering and processing is visualized in the "smoothed" data output which plots measured speeds (derived from BlueTOAD travel times).  

• Smoothing algorithms are optimized for road environments and configured by the users through the BlueTOAD interface.  

• Processing occurs in real-time, with latency in data delivery under two minutes.

• FOR PUBLIC AGENCY NOTICES,including a formal RFI, RFP, and/or Bid Notification:

  • MAIL TO:

  BlueTOAD @ TrafficCast

  2801 Coho Street

  Madison, WI 53713-4576

  USA

  • or  FAX TO:

  +1-608-204-0114

  • or  EMAIL TO:

  pmisticawi@trafficcast.com