Skip to main content

TomTom enhances HD Traffic for government and business

TomTom has released the latest version of its HD Traffic real time real-time traffic information service, TomTom HD Traffic 6.0, which the company says offers more precise information about roadworks, road closures and jam locations, helping drivers reach their destination faster. The service includes two new congestion forecasting features, which indicate whether a jam is growing or dispersing and estimate how long congestion will last. HD Traffic 6.0 reports the locations of traffic jams on highways up to
October 26, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
1692 TomTom has released the latest version of its HD Traffic real time real-time traffic information service, TomTom HD Traffic 6.0, which the company says offers more precise information about roadworks, road closures and jam locations, helping drivers reach their destination faster. The service includes two new congestion forecasting features, which indicate whether a jam is growing or dispersing and estimate how long congestion will last.

HD Traffic 6.0 reports the locations of traffic jams on highways up to fifteen times more precisely then industry-standard Traffic Message Channels (TMCs) and identifies 6 per cent more closed roads than HD Traffic 5.0. The service also uses information from GPS data sources to correct roadwork reports received from official sources. This means drivers are less likely to be routed via shut roads, avoiding unnecessary detours and frustration.

The latest version has two new functions which provide the user with traffic forecasts. HD Traffic 6.0 analyses congestion trends to indicate whether a particular traffic jam is growing, stable or dispersing. It also estimates how long the congestion will last. In the automotive and consumer connected navigation space both features are highly useful for more accurate routing and ETA calculation. Government organisations can benefit by using the new features for improved active traffic management.

"We're delighted to bring the enhanced version of HD Traffic to government and business," says Ralf-Peter Schäfer. "With improved road information, drivers can get to their destinations even faster. And with the new traffic forecasting features, government organisations can more effectively decide how to deal with congestion. This might be by using signs to reroute traffic, controlling traffic lights or, indeed, if the jam is dispersing, not taking any action at all."

TomTom HD Traffic has recently been re-accredited by the TÜV SÜD Group, for providing highly accurate and precise jam information on highways, A-roads and all main roads. Tests in Germany confirmed that traffic jams reported by HD Traffic 5.0 are accurate in 91% of instances.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Road space utilisation improves travel times, reduces costs
    February 1, 2012
    For major road works schemes, necessary lane closures are timed to minimise congestion, most frequently at night and on weekends when traffic is at its lightest. As a result, rigid timetables are used in planning, programming and implementing work. In the UK, to calculate the expected traffic demand through roads works, historic profiles from the loop-based MIDAS (Motorway Incident Detection Automatic Signalling) system were used. These provided a valuable indicator of anticipated traffic behaviour but were
  • Maintaining momentum: learning lessons from the London Olympics
    November 15, 2013
    Japan will not only host this year’s ITS World Congress but has been selected for the 2020 Olympics. So what can Japan, and indeed Brazil, learn from the traffic management for London 2012 - Geoff Hadwick finds out. It was a key moment when Olympic boss Jacques Rogge signed off London 2012, calling the Games “happy and glorious.” Scarred by the logistical disaster of Atlanta 1996 and the last-minute building panic for Athens 2008, Rogge clearly thought London 2012 was an object lesson in how to plan and
  • New constellation will add accuracy and security to GNSS services
    December 20, 2013
    With Galileo’s early services scheduled to start next year, Fiammetta Diani is enthusiastic about the opportunities the EU’s GNSS system will offer. Next year will be a very exciting one for Galileo, the EU’s fledgling satellite constellation; additional satellites are scheduled for launch and, as European Commission Vice President Tajani recently announced, early operational services will be starting towards the end of 2014. So it really is ‘all systems go’ as Fiammetta Diani, market development officer in
  • VMS can counter small screens’ big problems
    June 9, 2015
    Lacroix Trafic’s Steve Collins believes the improving trends in road safety could go into reverse unless authorities make full use of the latest LED technology to meet drivers’ information needs. Road authorities and vehicles manufacturers could and should be far more active in countering some of the transportation industry’s major problems, according to Steve Collins export sales director at Lacroix Trafic.