OpenTrafficMap

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Project & Data Source

  • OpenTrafficMap visualizes live traffic lights, trams/buses and Car2X-equipped cars using C-ITS / ITS-G5 (European 802.11p profile) data.
  • Vehicles broadcast unencrypted telemetry on 5 GHz: GPS, speed, acceleration, pedal positions, size, etc., up to 4 times per second.
  • Smart traffic lights transmit lane configurations and current/next signal phases (MAPEM/SPATEM messages); Graz reportedly plans ~165 such signals.
  • Data is collected by receivers and fed to a backend (currently via Wireshark dumps; Rust firmware is in progress). Aggregation is similar in spirit to ADS-B / AIS tracking sites.

Hardware & Openness

  • Core receiver: ESP32-C5, using its standard Wi‑Fi radio to capture ITS-G5 messages; a PoE board design is provided.
  • Hardware cost is ~€20 per receiver, and ~200 boards were ordered after a conference talk.
  • Repos and docs are hosted on Codeberg; users can contribute by running receivers that push to an MQTT endpoint.
  • Some commenters suggest complementary ideas like mobile apps for easier scaling; others note that’s outside the current project scope.

Coverage, Language & UX

  • Map works mainly in parts of Europe (e.g., Graz). Some users expected global coverage or at least US support and are disappointed.
  • Debate over whether it’s reasonable to assume a project with an English name and “Open…Map” branding is global.
  • Site is described as early-stage: partly German, partly English, sparse documentation, performance issues, and occasional “hug of death.”

Privacy, Tracking & Intrusiveness

  • Concern that persistent MAC addresses enable tracking. Thread notes:
    • Public transport vehicles appear to use persistent MACs.
    • Private cars change MAC every ~15 minutes, but packet sequence numbers may still allow correlation.
  • Comparison is made to existing tracking vectors: license plates, tire pressure sensors, ANPR cameras, and cheap radio loggers.
  • Some find the project exciting “true hacker” work; others explicitly call it intrusive or foresee backlash once widely understood.

Broader Mapping & Traffic Context

  • Strong interest in open, global congestion data as an alternative to Google/Waze, but skepticism about feasibility without OS-level tracking or carrier data.
  • Related projects like Cartes (OSM-based, open-source maps) are discussed, including styling, data freshness, and bugs.
  • Cycling and smart traffic light use cases (priority for bikes, rain-aware timing) are mentioned as promising applications of such data.