An Online Portal for Making Sense of Toronto Traffic Data

With so many potential sources of data with which to analyze traffic behaviors and real-time conditions, University of Toronto engineers have created an online portal that could one day help drive a system populated with autonomous cars.

1 minute read

October 25, 2015, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Tyler Irving explains the Connected Vehicles and Smart Transportation (CVST) portal, a new tool that "aims to bring harmony to how we monitor and manage traffic by integrating existing traffic monitoring data, using new technologies to address the gaps and generating insights that can inform decision making."

The portal, overseen by University of Toronto Engineering Professor Alberto Leon-Garcia with support from the University of Toronto Transportation Research Institute, includes a high-definition video feed produced by drones among data collected from "smart phones (Google Maps, Twitter), TTC buses, BIXI bicycles, border crossings and much more." Irving explains more about how the portal makes sense of all that data:

"Although it pulls all these data sources together, CVST is more than simply an aggregator of new and existing information. It also incorporates an analytics layer, which uses machine learning and other techniques to translate data into useful information. Crucially, these outputs are made available via an open application program interface (API). This allows anyone from curious citizens to city planners to app developers to leverage the system in order to meet their own needs."

Saturday, October 24, 2015 in U of T Engineering News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight