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Traffic Incidents

News Headlines Module

Traffic Incidents module displaying a traffic event near the 02131 zipcode.

Overview​

The Traffic Incidents module it is by far the most complex module. It provides real-time traffic updates for a specified location using the TomTom Traffic API. The module's display is a 1x3 rectangle.

Note: Only US ZIP codes are supported as of now.

Web GUI View​

Weather Forecast Module

Information Displayed​

The module presents the following details:

  • Traffic Event: Example: "Heavy Traffic Near" (the word "Near" indicates an approximate location).

    • This is a list of all the following traffic events:
      • Accident
      • Fog
      • Hazardous Road
      • Rain
      • Ice
      • Jam
      • Lane Closed
      • Road Closed
      • Road Works
      • Narrow Lanes
      • Tow Trucks
      • Other

  • Street Address: Example: 520 South St.

  • City, State, Zipcode: Example: Roslindale, MA 02131.

Usage​

  1. Click the "Select a Module:" dropdown at the top of the web GUI and select the "Traffic" module.

  2. Click the green "Add Module" button to the right of the dropdown.

  3. Drag and drop the module to your desired position within the grid.

  4. Enter a valid US ZIP code in the "Enter a ZIP Code" field.

  5. Click "Save Weather Settings":

    • A green confirmation message will appear if the settings are saved successfully.
    • A red error message will indicate a failure.

  6. Click the "Generate API File" button and follow the instructions: Generate API File Traffic Module

  7. Click the "Consume API File" button and follow the instructions: Generate API File Traffic Module

  8. Click "Update Display":

    • The screen will blink (indicating a cleaning sequence) and display the updated configuration.

Workflow​

The Traffic Incidents module retrieves real-time traffic data based on user settings stored in the database.

  1. Retrieve Settings:
    The module pulls the user’s API key and selected ZIP code from the database (TrafficSettings table).

  2. ZIP Code Conversion:
    The ZIP code is converted into latitude and longitude coordinates using a local dataset (US.txt).

  3. Define Bounding Box:
    A small bounding box around the derived coordinates is calculated to narrow the area for traffic incident queries.

  4. API Request:
    The TomTom API is queried with the bounding box, filtering incidents based on specific categories such as accidents, road closures, or heavy traffic.

  5. Response Handling:
    The API's response is processed to extract incident details, including category and coordinates.

  6. Reverse Geocoding:
    Incident coordinates are reverse-geocoded to obtain human-readable addresses.

  7. Address Formatting:
    Addresses are abbreviated for better readability, and incidents are compiled into a list for display.

    • As of now only one which is randomly selected is used for the screen.