Statistical Physics Algorithms for Traffic Reconstruction
  Concepts and techniques from statistical physics inspired a new method for traffic prediction. This method is particularly suitable in settings where the only information available is floating car data. We propose a system, based on the Ising model of statistical physics, which both reconstructs and predicts the traffic in real time using a message-passing algorithm. 
Arnaud De La Fortelle (CAOR), Jean-Marc Lasgouttes (INRIA   Rocquencourt), Cyril Furtlehner (INRIA Rocquencourt)