Portsmouth: Jam-busting car navigation system

Development opportunity

Researchers at Portsmouth University in the UK are developing an in-car navigation system which informs motorists about traffic jams ahead and advises the driver of the best alternative route before they reach the congestion. 

The Congestion Avoidance Dynamic Routing Engine (CADRE) uses artificial intelligence to interpret live traffic information shared between vehicles fitted with a special global positioning system. 

The project is being developed by a consortium consisting of the university, with industrial partners ComSine and Smartcom Software, along with the UK Transport Research Laboratory and Hampshire County Council.

CADRE works by monitoring other vehicles on the road, sensing when traffic is slowing down and building up into jams, informing motorists 5 to 10 miles away and recommending steps to avoid it while they can. 

The artificial intelligence capability comes from the university’s Institute of Industrial Research (IIR), which specialises in using artificial intelligence techniques for industrial applications.  

David Brown, Head of the IIR, said, "The system interprets live data from current traffic conditions so the motorist receives up-to-the-minute advice and can make an informed choice.  It’s designed to take the pain out of that agonising decision about whether to try an alternative route, which could be equally congested.” 

The system takes into account of how traffic speeds vary by day of the week and time of day and even on individual roads. It means that journey times are predicted more accurately and better routes are calculated that take account of the typical traffic conditions for the time of travel.  

CADRE learns constantly from incoming data and will adapt itself to long term and short term speed predictions and ever changing circumstances to continuously update and improve its knowledge. 

“At present routing can be carried out for minimum time or distance, but this can easily be extended to other criteria such as minimum cost or minimum CO2 emissions,” said Brown. 

Future plans for the system would extend it to ferries, trains and even planes allowing travellers to examine different departure times to estimate the best time and route to travel. 

The project was sponsored by the South East of England Development Agency as part of its role in the UK government’s Innovation Platform in Intelligent Transport Systems.