Method for regional system wide optimal signal timing for traffic control based on wireless phone networks

A method for controlling and adjusting phase timings at all signalized intersections within a given geographical region with the purpose of allocating more green light time for roads with heavier traffic flows at the expense of less loaded roadways comprising the steps of:

• acquiring of dynamic traffic information from a cellular network provider or a group of cellular network providers and from GPS based technology whenever available for the purpose of monitoring movements of as many traveling vehicles in a given region as possible;
• continuously or periodically obtaining location data on plurality of cell phones in the regional network in a specific real time frame;
• determining for each particular cell phone whether the cell phone terminal is located in a traveling vehicle;
• setting up a list of all cell phones currently identified as located in traveling vehicles;
• compiling and updating a sequence of real time positions of each cell phone located in a traveling vehicle;
• positioning each cell phone located in a traveling vehicle onto an appropriate road section at each particular moment according to its coordinates;
• eliminating untenable cell phone positions (outlying positions) by analyzing series of recently recorded positions and relating them to nearby road sections;
• making imputations for missing cell phone positions by analyzing series of recently recorded positions and relating them to nearby road sections;
• calculating feasible continuous paths for all cell phones located in traveling vehicles within a given time period;
• identifying multiple phones in a common vehicle and combining them into a single vehicular cluster entity based on closely located positions at corresponding time moments and common direction of movement;
• calculating feasible continuous paths for vehicular clusters within a given time period;
• and
• storing the relevant position data for each individual vehicle (vehicular cluster) traveling along a given road section in the database for the purpose of maintaining vehicle's recent path information.