Abstract: An approach is provided for identifying special areas with significant vehicle activities that do not represent established roads (e.g., construction areas). The approach involves, for example, retrieving probe data collected from sensors of probe devices traveling within a geographic area including geographic partitions. The approach also involves dividing each of the geographic partitions into grid cells. The approach further involves, for each grid cell, detecting directional groupings of the probe data that share a respective common direction of travel. The approach further involves detecting a set of grid cells with a count of the directional groupings that is above a count threshold. The approach further involves designating an area associated with the set of grid cells as an unconstrained area or a sub-area of the unconstrained area. The approach further involves providing the unconstrained area and/or the sub-area as a mapping data output.

Abstract: An approach is provided for creating a road geometry representation (e.g., a base map with double digitized roads representing actual travel paths and connectivity). The approach involves, for example, retrieving probe data collected from sensors of probe devices traveling within a geographic area including at least one geographic partition. The approach also involves dividing each of the at least one geographic partition into grid cells. The approach further involves detecting directional groupings of the probe data for each grid cell. The directional groupings comprise probes of the probe data that share a respective common travel direction. The approach further involves determining a density maxima location of the probes sharing the respective travel direction, for said each grid cell and each directional grouping. The approach further involves creating a continuous road path based on the density maxima locations for the grid cells.

Abstract: An approach is provided for identifying special areas with significant vehicle activities that do not represent established roads (e.g., construction areas). The approach involves, for example, retrieving probe data collected from sensors of probe devices traveling within a geographic area including at least one geographic partition. The approach also involves dividing each of the at least one geographic partition into grid cells. The approach further involves, for each grid cell, detecting directional groupings of the probe data. The directional groupings comprise probes of the probe data that share a respective common direction of travel. The approach further involves detecting a set of grid cells with a count of the directional groupings that is above a count threshold. The approach further involves designating an area associated with the set of grid cells as an unconstrained area or a sub-area of the unconstrained area.

Abstract: Systems and methods for using a plurality of probe reports to augment a geographic database with traffic volume data. The plurality of probe reports are identified for a road segment for a time period. A probe value is determined for the road segment for the time period based on the plurality of probe reports. A probe probability value is calculated for the road segment for the time period based on the probe value. The probe probability value is adjusted using road attributes. The adjusted probe probability value is used to estimate traffic volume. The geographic database is augmented with the estimated traffic volume.

Abstract: System and methods are provided for parallel geospatial clustering. A link tile association is determined between one or more links and a tile of a plurality of tiles. Map matched geospatial data is acquired for the tile based on the link tile association. A family of links is generated from the one or more links. A cluster of the map matched geospatial data is identified that is at least partially associated with the family of links. The cluster is determined to be centered on a link of the family of links that originates in the tile. The cluster is assigned to the tile. The cluster is reported for aggregation with other clusters from other parallelized processes.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are described for updating a geographic database based on road object probabilities. For example, an initial value set for an existence probability that a road object exists is determined. Observation data collected from sensors of vehicles are received. A total quantity of the observation data include a first quantity of vehicles that observed a presence of the road object and a second quantity of the vehicles observed an absence of the road object. A presence probability indicative of a likelihood that observation data accurately describe the road object and an absence probability indicative of a likelihood that observation data accurately describe the road object are calculated to determine an updated value for the existence probability. A geographic database is updated in response to the comparison of the updated value for the existence probability to a threshold confidence level.

Abstract: An approach is provided for determining safety levels for one or more locations based, at least in part, on signage information. The approach involves determining signage information associated with at least one location. The approach also involves causing, at least in part, a creation of at least one predictor model based, at least in part, on the signage information and one or more attributes associated with the at least one location. The approach also involves causing, at least in part, a classification of the at least one location, one or more other locations, or a combination thereof according to one or more safety levels using, at least in part, the at least one predictor model.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program products are provided for grouping a plurality of vehicles together into a platoon and using navigation and other available data to optimize the efficiencies of operating the vehicles together as a platoon. Methods may include receiving a first trip request including a first vehicle identification, trip destination, and associated preferences; receiving a second trip request including a second vehicle identification, trip destination, and associated preferences; and generating a platooning plan including assignment of platoon leader to the first vehicle identification and a joining location where a vehicle of the first vehicle identification is to form a platoon with a vehicle of the second identification. Methods may include joining the first vehicle and the second vehicle in a secure vehicle-to-vehicle communication session.

Abstract: A method is presented, which comprises: obtaining or holding available map data representing, at least in part, a travel network, determining, for at least one selected link of the travel network represented by the map data, a plurality of potential travel paths, wherein each potential travel path of the plurality of potential travel paths for the at least one selected link is at least partially defined by an incoming link of the travel network and an outgoing link of the travel network that are linked by the selected link and a direction of travel from the incoming link to the outgoing link on the selected link, for each potential travel path of the plurality of potential travel paths, determining whether the respective potential travel path is at least partially defined by a short incoming link and, if it is determined that the respective potential travel path of the potential travel paths is at least partially defined by a short incoming link, replacing the respective potential travel path of the plural

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program products are provided for grouping a plurality of vehicles together into a platoon and using navigation and other available data to optimize the efficiencies of operating the vehicles together as a platoon. Methods may include receiving a first trip request including a first vehicle identification, trip destination, and associated preferences; receiving a second trip request including a second vehicle identification, trip destination, and associated preferences; and generating a platooning plan including assignment of platoon leader to the first vehicle identification and a joining location where a vehicle of the first vehicle identification is to form a platoon with a vehicle of the second identification. Methods may include joining the first vehicle and the second vehicle in a secure vehicle-to-vehicle communication session.

Abstract: A method is presented which includes obtaining or holding available map data representing a travel network of road links and determining at least one lane-specific speed profile for a specific lane of at least one selected link of the plurality of links based, at least in part, on perpendicular distances between the selected link as represented by map data and positions represented by a plurality of data points.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for object identification and location correlation based on received images. A method is provided including receiving identity data associated with an object derived from one or more of a plurality of images determining an identity of an object in one or more of the plurality of images, receiving location information associated with a camera which captured the plurality of images, and correlating the identified object with a location for each of the respective images of the plurality of images.

Abstract: System and methods are provided for parallel geospatial clustering. A link tile association is determined between one or more links and a tile of a plurality of tiles. Map matched geospatial data is acquired for the tile based on the link tile association. A family of links is generated from the one or more links. A cluster of the map matched geospatial data is identified that is at least partially associated with the family of links. The cluster is determined to be centered on a link of the family of links that originates in the tile. The cluster is assigned to the tile. The cluster is reported for aggregation with other clusters from other parallelized processes.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are described for updating a geographic database based on road object probabilities. For example, an initial value set for an existence probability that a road object exists is determined. Observation data collected from sensors of vehicles are received. A total quantity of the observation data include a first quantity of vehicles that observed a presence of the road object and a second quantity of the vehicles observed an absence of the road object. A presence probability indicative of a likelihood that observation data accurately describe the road object and an absence probability indicative of a likelihood that observation data accurately describe the road object are calculated to determine an updated value for the existence probability. A geographic database is updated in response to the comparison of the updated value for the existence probability to a threshold confidence level.

Abstract: A method is presented, which comprises: obtaining or holding available at least one speed profile for at least one selected link of a travel network, wherein said at least one speed profile represents a plurality of speeds for a plurality of subsequent segments of said selected link; smoothing said at least one speed profile for said at least one selected link in a first smoothing step by: determining whether said at least one speed profile represents one or more speeds that are associated with an acceleration above a predetermined acceleration threshold or a deceleration below a predetermined deceleration threshold; for each speed that is determined to be associated with an acceleration above said acceleration threshold or a deceleration below said deceleration threshold, determining a respective adapted speed for replacing said respective speed at least partially based on speeds for one or more adjacent segments of said respective segment.

Abstract: Systems and methods for using a plurality of probe reports to augment a geographic database with traffic volume data. The plurality of probe reports are identified for a road segment for a time period. A probe value is determined for the road segment for the time period based on the plurality of probe reports. A probe probability value is calculated for the road segment for the time period based on the probe value. The probe probability value is adjusted using road attributes. The adjusted probe probability value is used to estimate traffic volume. The geographic database is augmented with the estimated traffic volume.

Abstract: Systems and methods for using a plurality of probe reports to augment a geographic database with traffic volume data. The plurality of probe reports are identified for a road segment for a time period. A probe value is determined for the road segment for the time period based on the plurality of probe reports. A probe probability value is calculated for the road segment for the time period based on the probe value. The probe probability value is adjusted using road attributes. The adjusted probe probability value is used to estimate traffic volume. The geographic database is augmented with the estimated traffic volume.

Abstract: A method is presented which comprises: obtaining or holding available map data representing, at least in part, a travel network comprising a plurality of links, determining at least one lane specific speed profile for a specific lane of at least one selected link of said plurality of links at least partially based on perpendicular distances between said selected link as represented by said map data and positions represented by a plurality of probe data points. Further presented are inter-alia corresponding apparatuses, a corresponding system and a corresponding computer program code.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, systems, and computer program products are presented for determining a speed profile for a selected link of a travel network. Map data representing, at least in part, a travel network is obtained or held available. At least one speed profile for at least one selected link of the travel network is determined at least partially based on speed represented by a plurality of probe data points of one or more probe data sets of a plurality of probe data sets and a weighting function for weighting the speeds represented by the plurality of probe data points of one or more probe data sets of the plurality of probe data sets. The one or more probe data sets are associated with the selected link for which the speed profile is determined.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for object identification and location correlation based on received images. A method is provided including receiving identity data associated with an object derived from one or more of a plurality of images determining an identity of an object in one or more of the plurality of images, receiving location information associated with a camera which captured the plurality of images, and correlating the identified object with a location for each of the respective images of the plurality of images.