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offthegrid
240 Posts |
 Posted - 12 nov. 2007 : 19:03:34
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Updated 20080307 by gpspassion : TomTom launched a new HD Traffic receiver compatible with the x30 and x20 range of GO GPS systems. HD Traffic is currently available in the Netherlands and they are planning to launch it in the UK and Germany later on in 2008 and in France in 2009. No plans for the US so far.
Original Post : New service goes live this month with traffic info gleamed from Vodafone cellphone tracking.
http://www.tomtom.com/news/category.php?ID=4&NID=375&Lid=1 |
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offthegrid
240 Posts |
Posted - 12 nov. 2007 : 21:06:01
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This is from the TomTom website
"All about Traffic – TomTom’s vision
Purpose of document
Traffic information is becoming an important part of the personal navigation market. This document outlines the three traffic information services offered by TomTom and their respective strengths and limitations.
Background
Drivers are always searching for the fastest route to their destination. As roads become more congested there is increasing demand for reliable and up-to-date traffic information. For years it has been possible to receive traffic information in a variety of ways, for example, via TV and radio broadcasts, Teletext, SMS messaging services, and online sources.
When traffic information is integrated with a personal navigation device, however, a driver can immediately see if there is congestion on the route and can choose to navigate around it. This integration turns GPS navigation devices into every day tools that drivers will use even when they know where they are going.
RDS-TMC
The most common traffic information service in the personal navigation market is RDS-TMC. This is a technology that uses the FM radio network to transmit traffic data alongside regular radio broadcasts. There are both free and commercial TMC services. TomTom chooses the best TMC provider in each country, and pays for the license fee when a commercial service is used (in France, Germany, UK and Italy).
TMC service providers collect data from traffic monitoring systems, emergency services, governments, radio stations and private commercial organisations. The data is used to generate small TMC messages that can be broadcast by FM radio stations (coded according to the Alert C protocol). Each message contains basic pre-formatted information about traffic incidents, such as location, description, direction and length.
The TomTom RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver receives TMC messages, acting much like a regular radio antenna. The traffic bar on the right side of the screen then displays any incidents that are on the route. Tapping on the traffic bar shows more detailed information about the incident, such as a description, the location and the estimated delay. The driver can then choose to re-route around the incident. It is also possible to set the device to automatically re-route to minimise delays.
With RDS-TMC drivers can receive traffic information in a simple and easy way. There are no subscription costs. A driver simply has to plug the TomTom RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver into a compatible TomTom device. As RDS-TMC is the only traffic service available to most of TomTom’s competitors it has become a common feature on navigation devices in 2007.
Despite its popularity, however, there are some drawbacks to RDS-TMC technology. TomTom and its competitors have no control over the quality of RDS-TMC data. So sometimes the data may be poor or out-of-date. As RDS-TMC uses the FM radio network it may not always be possible to get a good signal. This can depend on the distance between radio masts and their transmission strength. Reception is also affected by how the antenna has been set up in the car. There is a bandwidth limit for TMC broadcasts which means that there is a limit to the amount and type of data that can be transmitted. This limited bandwidth means that a driver will only periodically receive relevant traffic information, depending on the congestion on the road network.
TomTom Traffic
In order to address these limitations TomTom offers TomTom Traffic. This is a subscription service that uses a wireless data connection (GPRS, EDGE, UMTS or CDMA) between the TomTom device and a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone. This means that the driver no longer has to rely on the radio network to receive traffic information.
TomTom selects the source of the traffic data that is used. The best available traffic information providers are chosen, for example ITIS in the UK and DGG in Germany. These providers collect their data from sources similar to those used by the RDS-TMC service providers. These include motorway road sensors, the police, traffic cameras, roadside assistance companies, and ‘floating car data’ (data from vehicles fitted with GPS tracking devices). TomTom processes the data at the TomTom traffic center. There is a service contract with each provider and the feeds are monitored so that the providers can be contacted in case of problems. So, unlike RDS-TMC TomTom can guarantee a consistent level of quality.
The use of a mobile data connection means that drivers have consistent and reliable access to traffic information, as they are not reliant on the radio network. It also means that a higher bandwidth is available. This allows TomTom to provide a constant stream of detailed traffic information as well as adding weather and road condition warnings. It can take some time for a TMC user to get a relevant traffic report as data for the entire country is transmitted through a fairly narrow bandwidth (with updates once every 5 – 30 minutes). TomTom Traffic, on the other hand, only delivers data that is relevant to the driver’s location so useful traffic information is received much faster.
One downside to TomTom Traffic is that the data is not always accurate and up-to-date. Like RDS-TMC, it also generally does not extend beyond the motorway network. So a driver who chooses a route around an incident on a motorway won’t know if there is traffic on the secondary roads that the new route takes. Wireless data connections are very reliable, but drivers might run into compatibility issues with certain mobile phones and network providers. Also, although many network providers now offer affordable data bundles, data costs can be unpredictable, especially when roaming internationally. For these reasons, some drivers prefer the simplicity of RDS-TMC.
HD Traffic
As discussed above, previous traffic information services have certain limitations. TomTom has therefore developed High Definition (HD) Traffic. HD Traffic is a revolutionary service that uses anonymous data on the direction and speed mobile phones are traveling in cars. This data is made available thanks to a cooperation with Vodafone.
This works due to the fact that every active mobile phone transmits a signal to the mobile network from which it is possible to discern its location. Whenever a mobile phone is in motion at a certain speed and in a certain direction, reliable and useful traffic information becomes available. TomTom can access this anonymous data from millions of Vodafone customers, giving an accurate view of the traffic situation throughout the road network. This data is compared and merged with information from traffic authorities, road operators, and commercial third parties. A dedicated TomTom traffic centre and operations facility allows TomTom to monitor the quality of the service. The quality and accuracy of HD Traffic information is therefore very high.
Thanks to the built-in SIM cards of the TomTom HD Traffic Receiver and the ONE XL HDT, drivers are constantly connected to the HD Traffic service. Both products include access to the HD Traffic service for a defined period, after which a yearly subscription can be purchased. The HD Traffic Receiver and the ONE XL HDT ensure an easy out-of-the-box experience with no hidden costs or complicated wireless internet connections.
HD Traffic covers all ‘A’ roads and secondary roads. In the Netherlands that’s 22,000 kilometers of roads, ten times more than any other traffic information service. The data is processed and delivered faster than any other service. And as data comes from the actual speed of vehicles on the road network rather than lengths of traffic jams, the driver gets an accurate and up-to-date ETA that is constantly updated in line with the current traffic situation.
The result of this solution is an easy to use and highly detailed and comprehensive traffic information service. Drivers using other services frequently receive out-of-date traffic incident reports and when choosing an alternative route risk getting stuck in traffic on secondary roads that aren’t covered by their service. Only with HD Traffic are drivers empowered to always make the right decision when it comes to selecting an alternative route. HD Traffic will initially be launched in the Netherlands. The service will then be extended to the UK, and later to more countries.
Summary
There is high demand for accurate real-time traffic information. The most common traffic information service is RDS-TMC, an FM radio technology that suffers from inherent limitations. TomTom has addressed these limitations with the TomTom Traffic solution, which offers a reliable connection to the TomTom traffic center using a wireless data connection. With HD Traffic, however, TomTom revolutionizes traffic information with the world’s most accurate and up-to-date service, providing drivers with unprecedented quality, accuracy, coverage and ease of use. |
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igalan
Spain
350 Posts |
Posted - 07 mars 2008 : 11:48:53
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| If the precission of HD Traffic using GSM Towers is like what Google Maps gets from them (and most likely it is), this won't be HD at all... |
HTC Touch Diamond | HTC Touch HD | TomTom One v3 | McGuider 2009 |
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gpspassion
83562 Posts |
Posted - 07 mars 2008 : 20:40:08
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Good point, maybe the "accuracy" is better if they're only using the data to determine velocity ? I suppose there will be some type of "map matching", ideally by using GPS signal if available.
By the way we now know what the HD Traffic receiver looks like :
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offthegrid
240 Posts |
Posted - 15 mars 2008 : 15:23:02
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Both Airsage and Intellione in the US have been working with this type of technology for years using Sprint as the carrier. Both are negotiating with the other top carriers to increase the data points available.
Most cell phones have gps chip/capability built into them now so if they can use that instead of tower triangulation they have the potential for over 200 million accurate points of data nationwaide which dwarfs the 750,000 that Inrix touts.
This really is the only way to ever reach secondary roads with traffic data that I can think of anyway.
I wouldn't be surprised to see TomTom buy either Airsage or Intellione when they roll this out in the US. |
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ItsMikeE
United Kingdom
10 Posts |
Posted - 18 mars 2008 : 11:28:03
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So is there any information available on how well this is working so far in the Netherlands?
Presumably the more people that use it, the better the information will become. It might be a hard sell until it reaches the critical point where traffic info is significantly better than TMC. |
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gpspassion
83562 Posts |
Posted - 04 mai 2008 : 17:13:45
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Working pretty well it seems and I saw it with my own eyes earlier this week in Amsterdam during a demo, the information was getting updated reather quickly (saw a jam catch up with us) and gives info on small roads. Unfortunately they didn't have a TomTom GPS with the current RDS TMC receiver for comparison purposes.
Here are some pictures of the receiver next to the 930. Good news it will also be compatible with the x20 series.
Plugged in, the blue LED shows that the GPRS connection is active |
Discounts and Assistance/Réductions et Assistance (Club GpsPasSion) / Où commencer? |
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offthegrid
240 Posts |
Posted - 08 juil. 2008 : 07:57:22
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quote:
Originally posted by igalan
If the precission of HD Traffic using GSM Towers is like what Google Maps gets from them (and most likely it is), this won't be HD at all...
TomTom's method of tracking cell phones is unique apparently. They purchased Applied Generics just to get this method.
Also unlike Google they mix the cell data with gps probe data from each user and with local traffic source info (Inrix?).
This is a really good read about HD Traffic:
http://tiny.cc/oDekm
Every TomTom with Navcore 7 or newer will be able to take advantage of this for $150 (includes 6 months service). They will have a ton of their own traffic probes in a short time. Can anyone estimate how many Navcore 7 and above users are in the US? I don't know what the take rate will be but if I was to guess I'd say very high.
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offthegrid
240 Posts |
Posted - 08 juil. 2008 : 22:42:27
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Apparently a TomTom One XL with a sim chip inside just passed FCC testing.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/08/tomtoms-two-way-hd-traffic-gps-unit-clears-the-fcc/
This is being talked up as coming soon to the US but they havn't even announced a US carrier agreement for the cell probe data. I suppose they could roll this out and eliminate the need for the bluetooth connection till a carrier agreement and buildout is ready.
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Edited by - offthegrid on 10 juil. 2008 02:06:41 |
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gpspassion
83562 Posts |
Posted - 10 juil. 2008 : 21:04:20
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| Interesting links, the PDF sheds some new light on the way it works. With the new ONE's already out, I somehow doubt the ONE XL v1 will be released in the US, although I saw it during the demo in Amsterdam and it's certainly convenient to have the SIM card built-in rather than using an external receiver. |
Discounts and Assistance/Réductions et Assistance (Club GpsPasSion) / Où commencer? |
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offthegrid
240 Posts |
Posted - 25 juil. 2008 : 15:31:41
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TomTom is reporting that 10% of all new sales in the Netherlands are with HD Traffic. That doesn't include existing base upgrading through the $150 adaptor. From what I've read Navcore 7 and up is HD capable.
TomTom US sales are in the area of 3 million units a year. 10% uptake means 300,000 new traffic probes just from new sales per year. With existing unit upgrades TomTom will have more gps traffic probes than Inrix in a less than two years and that doesn't include TomTom work units. TomTom could easily have several million gps probes in a few years to supplement the cell probe data they also use. Tom Tom will be reselling their service so they become an Inrix competitor.
Inrix doesn't have enough probes to accurately display traffic and is too dependent on historic traffic and the algorithms they use to guess. Unless they team with Garmin to produce a similar service they may find themselves an also ran in the US traffic market.
The dark horse in this is the Nokia/Navteq/Traffic.com traffic product. Nokia has already said they will use gps in Nokia phones to improve mapping I imagine traffic is on their menu. They pump out 1.2 million phone a day worldwide so they could be a real player here. |
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offthegrid
240 Posts |
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gpspassion
83562 Posts |
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gpspassion
83562 Posts |
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offthegrid
240 Posts |
Posted - 19 août 2008 : 01:13:24
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Wow great find. Hopefully they've been working on this and will announce some timeline for availability soon.
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curious273
19 Posts |
Posted - 20 août 2008 : 15:49:47
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| I see the Amazon price on the Dash Express has come down from $299 to $253.48. Maybe they're expecting competition? |
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[TOPIC] TomTom HD Traffic Service in Europe and US
