Server device and congestion identification method

1. A server device comprising a processor programmed to:

acquire vehicle information including at least positional information of a vehicle and corresponding time information from a plurality of vehicles, including the vehicle, traveling on a same road;

determine a speed of each of the plurality of vehicles traveling on the road based on the acquired vehicle information and information of the road, which includes multiple lanes in one direction based on map information;

determine, from among the plurality of vehicles, one or more slow vehicles each having the speed of the respective vehicle determined to be at or lower than a predetermined congestion speed;

calculate a ratio of the one or more slow vehicles to the plurality of vehicles;

determine that the multiple lanes in the one direction include a congested lane and a non-congested lane when the calculated ratio of the one or more slow vehicles to the plurality of vehicles is within a predetermined range; and

identify the congested lane and the non-congested lane among the multiple lanes in the one direction based on the determined respective speeds of the plurality of vehicles and the determined one or more slow vehicles, the identified congested lane including the determined one or more slow vehicles.

2. The server device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is programmed to:

determine the one or more slow vehicles traveling at a low speed, each of which is traveling at a lower speed than a normal speed, and a vehicle of the plurality of vehicles traveling at a normal speed, which is traveling at a higher speed than the one or more slow vehicles traveling at the low speed, based on the speed of each of the plurality of vehicles; and

identify the congested lane and the non-congested lane among the multiple lanes in the one direction when the one or more slow vehicles traveling at the low speed and the vehicle traveling at the normal speed are traveling on the same road of the multiple lanes in the one direction.

3. The server device according to claim 2 , further comprising a memory configured to store congested lane identification information identifying a lane where a congestion occurred previously on the road of the multiple lanes in the one direction,

wherein the processor is programmed to identify a currently congested lane based on the stored congested lane identification information when the one or more slow vehicles traveling at the low speed and the vehicle traveling at the normal speed are traveling on the same road of the multiple lanes in the one direction.

4. The server device according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is programmed to identify the congested lane among the multiple lanes in the one direction by tracking an advancing direction of each of the one or more slow vehicles traveling at the low speed.

5. The server device according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is programmed to identify the congested lane among the multiple lanes in the one direction based on congestion information posted by using a social networking service.

6. The server device according to claim 1 , further comprising a memory configured to store congested lane identification information indicating the congested lane and the non-congested lane among the multiple lanes in the one direction.

7. A congestion identification method comprising:

acquiring vehicle information including at least positional information of a vehicle and corresponding time information from a plurality of vehicles, including the vehicle, traveling on a same road;

determining a speed of each of the plurality of vehicles traveling on the road based on the acquired vehicle information and information of the road, which includes multiple lanes in one direction based on map information;

determining, from among the plurality of vehicles, one or more slow vehicles each having the speed of the respective vehicle determined to be at or lower than a predetermined congestion speed;

calculating a ratio of the one or more slow vehicles to the plurality of vehicles;

determining that the multiple lanes in the one direction include a congested lane and a non-congested lane when the calculated ratio of the one or more slow vehicles to the plurality of vehicles is within a predetermined range; and

identifying the congested lane and the non-congested lane among the multiple lanes in the one direction based on the determined respective speeds of the plurality of vehicles and the determined one or more slow vehicles, the identified congested lane including the determined one or more slow vehicles.