Maine To Use Your Personal Location To Improve Traffic Flow

It's no secret that traffic is very seasonal in Maine, much heavier in the summer and barely any in winter. To improve transportation patters in the Vacationland some Maine agencies want to use your personal location from the GPS on your phone to track traffic patters and improve traffic flow, FOX23 has reported.

4 agencies in Maine have already signed on with StreetLight Data, a data mining company that uses your location through your phone to analyze traffic patterns and show where improvements are needed. The Maine Turnpike Authority, Maine DOT, the City of Portland and the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System have all signed on to the yearlong subscription at a cost of $371,400.

The article says the company, StreetLight Data, records the data which is submitted through voluntary location based service apps like GPS equipped smartphones. That information is then used to compile anonymous patterns that can detail traffic flows, congestion, trip origin and destination, and even pedestrian and cyclist movement.

But some residents aren't happy with having their movements tracked from home to wherever they may be going. However StreetLight Data assures Mainers that all of the info they collect is done anonymously, and empathizes no data can be traced back to a specific person.