Skip to main content

Independent tests reveal floating car data is ‘as accurate as road sensors’

An independent quality test by the German State of Bavaria’s Centre for Traffic Management (ZVM) has found that floating car data (FCD) from INRIX is ‘just as good’ as the information from road sensors. The results indicate that the traffic authority can provide enhanced traffic information to citizens without the expense and time-consuming process of maintaining and installing additional road sensors. ZVM selected Inrix to provide data and insights to reduce congestion across the state and commissioned
October 12, 2015 Read time: 3 mins
An independent quality test by the German State of Bavaria’s Centre for Traffic Management (ZVM) has found that floating car data (FCD) from 163 INRIX is ‘just as good’ as the information from road sensors. The results indicate that the traffic authority can provide enhanced traffic information to citizens without the expense and time-consuming process of maintaining and installing additional road sensors.

ZVM selected Inrix to provide data and insights to reduce congestion across the state and commissioned this performance study as part of its quality management review of the data.

ZVM already uses a large network of road sensors for traffic management and information purposes, but wanted to improve the quality of real-time data provided to drivers, particularly for secondary roads where road sensors are installed at distances of up to 100km, creating blind spots in coverage.

The TraffiCon consultancy evaluated the real-time and historic data on behalf of ZVM; the analysis revealed that Inrix was able to provide accurate real-time traffic information up to 98 per cent of the time on roads such as the A3, A8 and A9, the most congested motorways in Bavaria. The test found that FCD could be used to fill in the ‘blind spots’ between road sensors on secondary roads to enhance traffic information. Drivers in Bavaria can access Inrix traffic data through the BayernInfo website, which also features as both Android and iOS smartphone apps for real-time updates on road conditions.

Access to Inrix XD Traffic, which delivers real-time information on traffic speeds and travel times from five million miles of roads in 42 countries, provides ZVM with an insight into traffic conditions on Bavarian roads at any given time. XD Traffic improves accuracy and offers detailed real-time traffic information for every 100 metres on every major road type and class, resulting in the best insight for transportation agencies and urban planners for improving a city’s road network performance.

TraffiCon CEO, Dr Stefan Krampe, said: “As Inrix’s floating car data was found to be just as accurate as the information derived from road sensors, it is clear that Inrix can deliver high quality, real-time information to transport authorities to help them better monitor and manage traffic. Through partnering with Inrix, ZVM now has a more comprehensive picture of traffic across their road network and is able to provide more accurate updates to drivers.”

Scott Sedlik, general manager EMEA at Inrix, said: “Providing high quality, real-time traffic information through physical infrastructure, such as road sensors, can be costly and doesn’t always provide the broadest coverage and highest accuracy. By using floating car data, ZVM is able to extend its existing investments to reduce congestion and improve journeys for drivers, saving them time, money and frustration.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Integrating traffic systems improves management and control
    April 25, 2012
    Following a successful trial in 2007, VicRoads has adopted Streams Motorway Management from Transmax as its primary traffic management and control system Throughout the world, the avoidable social cost of traffic congestion continues to rise each year with increased motorisation, urbanisation and population growth. Traffic congestion is responsible for an increase in travel times, vehicle operating costs and carbon emissions. In 2007, VicRoads commissioned Streams Motorway Management for the M1 Monash Freew
  • C/AVs & smart cities: a symbiotic relationship, says WSP
    December 5, 2018
    C/AVs and smart cities are still in their infancy. But Mike Warren suggests thatintegrating their data and services can create a co-operative relationship that improves safety, liveability and the economy for citizens The recent technological boom has led to two major public advances: connected and automated vehicles (C/AVs) and smart cities. While these are significant in their own right, when coupled together they create a new way in which citizens can access city services; live in safer, environment
  • Tomtom offers authorities sensor-free traffic monitoring
    October 12, 2016
    Tomtom City, a traffic information and analytics package designed to help authorities monitor road conditions without the need for roadside infrastructure, is on display on Tomtom’s stand at this week’s ITS World Congress. The company collects data from 450 million connected devices worldwide (6% of Australian vehicles or occupants have a connected device) to determine vehicle speeds, congestion levels and incidents on most roads – and not just those in urban areas. Authorities using City can monitor traf
  • Siemens launches radar-based parking space detection pilot
    September 24, 2015
    As part of the City2.e 2.0 research project, Siemens is demonstrating a faster way to find kerbside parking in the Bundesallee in Berlin in cooperation with the Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment in Berlin (SenStadtUm), the VMZ Berlin Betreibergesellschaft mbH, the Institute for Climate Protection, Energy and Mobility (IKEM), and the Robotics Innovation Center of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). Street lamps on a 200 metre long section of road betwee