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

  • Weathering the elements: how weather affects the network
    July 29, 2013
    Weather-related problems can render cost-cutting counter productive, according to CommScope’s Philip Sorrells. When severe weather conditions make headlines every winter, motorists and travellers seem willing to accept the impact on the trains and roads and yet take for granted that the communications networks will continue uninterrupted. They often appear far more upset that the information system does not give them an update on road conditions, train services or bus arrival times than they are about the a
  • Rio’s TMC rises to Olympic challenge
    October 27, 2016
    Timothy Compston lifts the lid on Rio de Janeiro’s preparations for keeping its transport systems moving during the Olympics – and the outcome. Hosting the Olympics poses major traffic management challenges for any city and Rio was no exception – especially as it is already one of the world’s most congested cities. Beyond its normal 6.5 million inhabitants wanting to carry on their daily lives, in August Rio was also home to 11,300 athletes from 206 countries. Athletes who, without fail, had to reach their
  • New Jersey takes a high tech approach to smarter roads
    May 21, 2015
    IBM has developed a new transportation management solution to help minimise congestion and improve traffic flow for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA). The solution, which is part of NJTA's advanced traffic management program (ATMP), will serve both the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, two of the most heavily travelled highways and busiest toll roads in the United States. The system, which manages almost a thousand devices, provides traffic management professionals at the NJTA
  • Underinvestment in infrastructure threatens economic growth
    January 24, 2012
    The 2011 Urban Mobility Report from the Texas Transportation Institute highlights the dangers of continued underinvestment in transportation infrastructure but also offers some hope in terms of possible solutions