Abstract: Disclosed is a methodology for the collection, processing and distribution of traffic data and delivering more accurate routing in GPS-based Personal Navigation Assistants (PNAs). The methodology includes a) Data Collection Methodology (DCM), b) a Data Incorporation Methodology (DIM), and c) a Routing Methodology (RM). The DCM regards the collection of information related to the traffic flow in each road. The DIM includes a procedure executed at a central system (CS), outside the PNA, performing the incorporation of the “trace data” (i.e. user-submitted route-related information, including a list of periodically collected, time-stamped GPS samples, augmented with other parameter values defining the vehicle-type, weather-conditions, road-type, holiday-type), collected by the DCM.

Abstract: We have devised a methodology and appropriate systems realizing it, related to the collection, by means of a GPS-based Personal Navigation Assistant (PNA) and aggregation, central processing and distribution (by means of a Central System) of dynamic information related to the road traffic flow (i.e., the traveling speed of a vehicle for every road segment it travels through, correlated with other vehicular and road parameters), thereby augmenting the existing static navigation map data with dynamic ones and providing improved routing and navigation capabilities to current PNAs. Proper software, interacting with typical PNA hardware, will record characteristics and parameters associated with each road segment of the traveled path (e.g. The time or speed it takes to go through that road segment, the current time and date, the weather conditions, the vehicle type, whether it is a work-day or some holiday, etc.).