Method for tracking moving entities

1. A method for tracking moving entities in a monitored space subdivided into a plurality of cells having a first predetermined granularity, said method including repetition of the following operations:

transmitting information from said moving entities to a server;

determining at said server at least in part from said transmitted information a current spatial and/or temporal state of the moving entities within said monitored space;

checking said transmitted information for occurrence of a triggering event in connection with said state;

upon occurrence of said triggering event, changing granularity of at least one of the plurality of cells of the monitored space to a second predetermined granularity while maintaining the first granularity for at least one other of the plurality of cells of the monitored space; and

tracking said moving entities in the monitored space in accordance with said changed granularity.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the triggering event is a transition of the state of the entities within the monitored space to another state being closer to, or more remote from, a predetermined target state.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the current state of one of the moving entities comprises identifying a cell where the one of the moving entities is deemed to be currently present or entering into.

4. A method according to claim 3 , wherein checking occurrence of a triggering event includes calculation of a distance between at least one of the plurality of cells and at least one other of the plurality of cells in which at least one of the moving entities is deemed to be currently present or entering into.

5. A method according to claim 4 , wherein the triggering event is the calculated distance being lower or greater than a predetermined distance.

6. A method according to claim 5 , wherein granularity is increased or decreased if the calculated distance is lower or, respectively, greater than the predetermined distance.

7. A method according to claim 3 , wherein granularity change is conducted through a recursive spatial division technique of the cells.

8. A system for tracking moving entities in a monitored space subdivided into a plurality of cells having a first predetermined granularity, said system including:

an application server configured to perform the following functions:

determining a current spatial and/or temporal state of the moving entities within said monitored space;

checking occurrence of a triggering event in connection with said state; and

upon occurrence of said triggering event, changing granularity of at least one of the plurality of cells of the monitored space to a second predetermined granularity while maintaining the first granularity for at least one other of the plurality of cells of the monitored space; and

a communication server connected to the application server and configured to manage communications with the moving entities, said communications including:

contextual information sent by the moving entities in connection with their current spatial and/or temporal state within the monitored space; and

granularity parameters of the plurality of cells of the monitored space sent by the communication server.

9. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium carrying program code which when executed on a processing unit of a computer will cause the following steps to be performed:

determining a current spatial and/or temporal state of moving entities within a monitored space subdivided into a plurality of cells having a first predetermined granularity;

checking occurrence of a triggering event in connection with said state;

upon occurrence of said triggering event, changing granularity of at least one of the plurality of cells of the monitored space to a second predetermined granularity while maintaining the first granularity for at least one other of the plurality of cells of the monitored space; and

forming a message including new granularity parameters to be sent to at least one moving entity.

10. A method according to claim 1 , wherein each of said entities is a vehicle.

11. A computer program product according to claim 9 , wherein said program code when executed further causes said new granularity parameters to be stored in a database.

12. A method for tracking entities moving in a monitored space subdivided into a plurality of cells having a first predetermined granularity, said method including repetition of the following operations:

transmitting information from each of said entities to a server;

determining at said server at least in part from said transmitted information at least one of a current location within said monitored space and a current velocity of movement within the plurality of cells of said monitored space of each of the entities;

checking said transmitted information for occurrence of a triggering event in connection with said location and/or velocity of at least one of said entities,

upon occurrence of said triggering event, changing granularity of at least one of the plurality of cells of the monitored space to a second predetermined granularity while maintaining the first granularity for at least one other of the plurality of cells of the monitored space; and

tracking said entities in the monitored space in accordance with said changed granularity.

13. A method according to claim 12 , wherein said entities are vehicles.

14. A method according to claim 10 , wherein determining the current location of an entity comprises identifying the one of the plurality of cells where the entity is deemed to be currently present or entering into.

15. A method according to claim 14 , wherein checking occurrence of a triggering event includes calculation of a distance at least one of the plurality of cells and the at least one of the plurality of cells in which at least one entity is deemed to be currently present or entering into.

16. A method according to claim 15 , wherein the triggering event is a calculated distance being lower or greater than a predetermined distance.

17. A method according to claim 16 , wherein granularity is increased or decreased if the calculated distance is lower or, respectively, greater than the predetermined distance.