Cool cell/map data-processing

[da]

Last night I briefly chatted with friends on IRC about traffic-maps; I remembered there was a research study to use cell-tower data to accurately read traffic speeds (because a high fraction of cars contain cell phones, and they're all passing from one tower to another in a measurable way). It was pre-alpha when I read about it early last year. It seemed deceptively simple, possibly scary privacy-wise, and very cool from a usefulness standpoint.

It's gone past alpha, into beta. Live demo on Tampa highways, a google mashup. They report how many cars in the last minute contributed to each road segment's report. I wonder how accurate it is... (sulle_stelle?)

Also: IntelliOne's first commercial partner is Rogers, and the first rollout is Toronto, eventually to go national via Rogers. Or so says the press release dated last November. Here's more info I found but haven't had time to read ('cause I've got work to do before I catch my plane to LGA this afternoon!)