IBM training computers to predict traffic

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) —Traffic websites, with their color-coded maps of clogged streets and freeways, are good at telling commuters when congestion is already awful. But what if they could know not only where you drive, but if the route is going to be bad today, and warned you ahead of time?

Researchers at IBM Corp. are working on a system that would do just that.

They've combined sophisticated analytics software with a network of sensors the state has already embedded in roadways throughout California. With the help of a database of past traffic tie-ups, they say they can predict when they'll happen in the future.

IBM, which worked with the state Department of Transportation and the California Center for Innovative Transportation at the University of California, Berkeley, can't tell you when an accident is going to happen — yet.

But John Day, an IBM manager, says that's a natural extension of the work his team has been doing, and one day could well be something they could reasonably infer from the data they're collecting.