Estimation of traffic flow using passive cell-phone data

Abstract

In this paper we present preliminary results for estimating traffic flow using passive cell-phone network information. Two datasets are considered: (a) passive cell-phone data and (b) information provided by the English Highways Agency. Our proposed method identifies cell phone users that are traveling by car and using a linear regression model, estimates the flow for each of the links in which the road network is divided. Initial results indicate, that, under certain conditions, traffic flow can be effectively approximated with passive network data.