Dealing with Vehicular Traces

Intelligent transportation systems (ITSs) [72–74] have been evolving rapidly in the past two decades, leveraging advanced computing and communication technologies. ITSs help coordinate traffic condition, improve safety, reduce environmental impact, and make efficient use of available resources. Shanghai, the largest metropolis in China, covers an area of 5,800 km2 and has a large population of 18.7 million. The economy of Shanghai is soaring today and the growing traffic has become a serious challenge. In response to the challenge and the needs of the public, the Shanghai government has established the SG project cooperated with SJTU since 2005, with the ambitious goal of building a metropolitan-scale traffic information system. The goals of the project are twofold. First, it tries to make the available transportation infrastructure to be used more efficiently. Second, it aims to provide the public with a wide spectrum of ITS applications, ranging from real-time traffic information, trip planning and optimal route selection, to congestion avoidance and bus arrival prediction.