
OpenTraffic: a free, global traffic speed data set linked to OpenStreetMap - executesorder66
http://opentraffic.io/
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anc84
Where _is_ the data?

Will full dumps be made available under a permissive license or will we have
to hope that "free" and "open" mean "we have an API and might serve you
something if we feel like it" as it too often does?

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michaelt
Even if they release the computed average road speeds, it would be difficult
for them to release the individual traces while maintaining user privacy.

After all, if a GPS trace starts at my home and ends at my work, that's going
to be pretty easy to de-anonymise.

~~~
maxerickson
Their architecture plan makes this clear, the idea is to only publicly share
the anonymized data:

[https://github.com/opentraffic/architecture](https://github.com/opentraffic/architecture)

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striking
But someone is keeping data that can be de-anonymized? That sounds dangerous.

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3JPLW
I wish them the best! These sorts of data are extremely powerful for local
governments and advocacy for safer and better-designed streets.

There’s been a big push in Pittsburgh for improved traffic safety around the
University of Pittsburgh and CMU due to several recent cyclist and pedestrian
deaths. I’m not affiliated with the city or any local advocacy organizations,
but as a concerned cyclist with some programming chops, I figured I could put
some numbers to the problem myself with video tracking [0]. This impromptu
weekend hack has garnered way more attention than I ever expected [1]. Being
able to see long-term behaviors would be even more powerful.

0\.
[https://github.com/mbauman/TrafficSpeed](https://github.com/mbauman/TrafficSpeed)

1\. [http://www.post-
gazette.com/news/transportation/2015/11/19/P...](http://www.post-
gazette.com/news/transportation/2015/11/19/Pitt-student-s-study-on-Oakland-
traffic-patterns-sparks-citywide-safety-effort/stories/201511180023)

~~~
thrownaway2424
It's just as likely that this data will be used to increase speed limits,
under they theory that limits should be set at the 85th percentile of speed.
Using data like this to make streets safe for people is anathema to the
American driver.

~~~
3JPLW
That's probably true in many locations. Here, though, the city and university
are interested in infrastructure changes that will reduce the "natural speed"
of the road… effectively tackling the 85th percentile from the other
direction.

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executesorder66
They provide a link[0] to a list of opensource tools that they have made for
this but after having a look at them, I realized there is a lot of work to be
done.

[0][https://github.com/opentraffic](https://github.com/opentraffic)

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liotier
Building critical mass will be hard without Google Waze's promotion budget,
but remember where Openstreetmap stood at its birth !

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eggie
It can be done, but it will take time. My folks, who commute by car every day,
loved Waze until it was bought. They ended up feeling the quality went way
down and also locked out of the fruits of their labor: My mom was banned for
making a few mistakes! Maybe there is a growing group of people who would be
ready for an open alternative.

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crisnoble
Can I install an app on my phone to contribute to this data during my
commutes?

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iotakodali
i think it is a nice possibility, but for now it doesn`t. It is only looking
at providers who have access to large GPS datasets

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voltagex_
What's the authoritative source for this data?

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maxerickson
I think at the moment it is still a plan.

If it is successfully open source, there could be multiple
organizations/groups that are maintaining traffic pools. For example, there
isn't huge benefit to pooling traffic data between Australia and North
America. Perhaps it would be convenient, but that's about it.

~~~
JupiterMoon
The benefit is that I can then take my phone with a navigation app with real
time traffic updates that works in the US and use it in Aus without changing
anything (mobile data costs aside).

~~~
lucb1e
Well the app needs to know where to find traffic data anyway, it could have a
different source per region.

That said, I'm not sure whether it's easier to have a big database or a
separated one.

With separation, many people could host parts of the traffic data. As a
student I could even host something without getting huge costs.

Without separation, you don't have the complexity of splitting per location.

With separation, databases can be smaller and you can put a database with only
what you need in that region. You don't want to have requests from Australia
being answered (load balanced) to a European server anyway, so if you host
Australia's part in Australia you'll have lower latency and a less complex
database.

Without separation, you don't have to keep multiple separate databases. It's a
simpler, more unified design.

I don't know which is better.

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anarcat
this is pretty awesome, if/when it ever picks up. the possibilities of this
far surpass just the basic "what's the traffic jam today" of personnal use
cases. by making such data publicly available, it can influence significantly
public policies and much more.

good thing things like this are finally getting off the ground. pretty much
the only thing still tying me up to google maps at least...

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plg
it's not very open if I can't see the data

