Traffic speed prediction device and method therefor

A method comprising:

• determining, by at least one processor, a second section connected with a first section, wherein the second section is a target road section and the first section includes a road section in front of the second section;
• outputting, by the at least one processor, first output data using traffic speed data during a first time, the traffic speed data being obtained based on probe data collected in the first section and the second section;
• outputting, by the at least one processor, second output data using traffic volume data during a second time, the traffic volume data being obtained based on the probe data collected in the first section and the second section;
• accessing, by the at least one processor, a plurality of probe data generation models stored in a memory;
• determining, by the at least one processor, probe vehicles in the first section and the second section during a time unit;
• when a number of the probe vehicles is less than or equal to a threshold, searching, by the at least one processor, for whether there is a probe data generation model of the plurality of probe generation models corresponding to a particular road characteristic with a highest similarity with a road characteristic in which probe data is collected,
• wherein the road characteristic includes at least one of a type of the road, a number of lanes, a length of the road, or a shape of the road;
• when the probe data generation model based on the highest similarity with the road characteristics is not identified, determining, by the at least one processor, one probe data generation model having a smallest difference between the number of probe vehicles collected on the target road section and the number of probe vehicles of the probe data generation model as a characteristic of the road;
• generating, by the at least one processor, probe data until a reliability of the traffic speed of the road is ensured, based on the determined probe data generation model;
• determining, by the at least one processor, whether to use a remaining traffic volume based on whether the target road section is connected to the first section and whether probe data exists in the first section;
• predicting, by the at least one processor, a traffic speed of a road including the second section using the first output data and the second output data, and the generated probe data;
• and
• determining, by the at least one processor, based on the predicted traffic speed of the road, an estimated time of arrival of the probe vehicles.