Case 14676

CO2GO: Transportation Mode Identification and Real-Time CO2 Emissions Estimation Using Mobile Phone Sensors

Keywords:

CO2 emissions, carbon footprint, transportation, mobile phone sensors, GPS, accelerometer

Applications:

Real-time estimation of CO2 emissions generated by a user’s transportation choices using data gathered from mobile phone sensors.

Problem:

If people cannot evaluate in real-time the CO2 emissions associated with their transportation choices, they cannot consider this impact on the environment in their mobility decisions.

Technology:

The invention presents a novel method to estimate real-time CO2 emissions using data from mobile phone sensors (accelerometer, GPS). An algorithm uses a Decision Tree classification method to determine the user’s transportation mode using inertial information from the phone sensors. A second algorithm computes the distance travelled using the GPS and internet map services. The classification algorithm has been developed and tested for mobile phones based on Android operating systems. The data is made relevant to the user by converting it into CO2 emissions.

Advantages:

• Automatic transportation mode recognition
• No manual input necessaryNo specific position and orientation of device required
• Restricted battery consumption: accelerometer, GPS, and online maps query only sparsely
• Established infrastructure (smart phones) with large user base

Inventors:

• Assistant Professor Carlo F. Ratti (Department of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT)
• Kristian Kloeckl (Department of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT)

Intellectual Property:

US Provisional Patent 61/429928 filed January 5, 2011

Publications:

N/A

Images:

Please contact: Christopher R. Noble MIT Technology Licensing Officer 1 Cambridge Center, Kendall Square, NE18-501 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142-1601

Email: crn@mit.edu Tel: 617-253-6966 Fax: 617–258-6790 Website: http://tlo.mit.edu