Imagine an affordable technology that enables motorists to avoid unexpected traffic congestion and that allows freight and delivery vehicles to accurately predict their time of arrival.
Electronic Traffic Avoidance, a real time digital traffic information service, is available in Australia. It is based on the international standard known as TMC (Traffic Message Channel). The service is provided as an RDS (Radio Data System), FM broadcast, as used by most navigation systems, or as an XML feed for use with web, mobile and other applications.
The Intelematics service previewed in Q3 2006, launched in 2007, and is continuing to transform vehicle navigation in Australia. The RDS TMC based traffic service allows navigation systems to know where traffic congestion is and, if possible, avoid the congestion. The service known as SUNA Traffic Channel also supports mobile phone and Internet traffic applications. The service is also an enabler for a range of other passenger vehicle and freight applications.
SUNA Traffic Channel- + A standards based approach to traffic information
- + Opportunities for Industry
- + The Australian Challenge
- + A unique technical solution - how it works
- + Web example of traffic information
| A standards-based approach - TMC | return to top |
Intelematics is the first to implement a standards-based approach to Australian traffic content. Our core offering to the automotive industry is a national, global-standard 'TMC' service network.
The International Standard for digital traffic information services had its origins in Europe (as a CEN standard) in the mid 90's. Since then, TMC (Traffic Message Channel) services have been launched across Europe and North America, and are beginning to be seen also in Asia.
Invariably, TMC has been adopted as the foundation technology of advanced real-time traffic content services (the only significant exception, Japan, uses the proprietary VICS encoding/broadcast standard).
Adopting TMC ensures that traffic-ready navigation hardware and other end-user applications designed for the European or North America will operate with little or no modification in Australia. As well as enabling rapid deployment of traffic solutions for both vehicle manufacturers and in the aftermarket, this approach enables Australian consumers to benefit from the global economies of scale that has rendered TMC an incredibly affordable addition to vehicle and portable navigation platforms.
| Opportunities for Industry | return to top |
Intelematics is continuing to build upon the already extensive list of RDS-TMC partners in the automotive and vehicle navigation sectors for commercial deployment of the SUNA service.
Intelematics is deploying two primary content feeds, targeted at different market segments: RDS-TMC, and XML-TMC.
Our RDS-TMC service is intended primarily for the vehicle navigation market - as an enabler for auto manufacturers, vehicle navigation system vendors and portable navigation devices (PND) manufacturers - to integrate real-time traffic information in motor vehicles and consumer products. The traffic feed is embedded (inaudibly) within a network of FM transmissions, and currently is available in Australia's major capital cities: Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth.
By adding a low-cost TMC receiver, navigation systems can be transformed from simple street directories to an electronic traffic avoidance service that is useful on every journey.
Our XML-TMC feed is a broadband (internet) feed for applications that will enable integration of traffic-related information in a range of consumer and business applications. Without the bandwidth restrictions imposed by RDS, Intelematics XML-TMC service provides an unparalleled source of data on traffic congestion across urban road networks. The XML service can be integrated with smart phone navigation applications or to display congestion and incident information.
| The Australian Challenge | return to top |
In Australia, the impact of congestion for both motorists and industry is experienced overwhelmingly within our congested urban areas. And road-building is not keeping pace - delay caused by peak-hour congestion is trending upward in all our major cities. Consequently, Intelematics has been focused since 2003 on designing a launch strategy that immediately went to the heart of the Australian congestion problem - the urban main road network.
Our approach differs to most international TMC service providers, whose technologies and traffic conditions necessitate a focus on inter-city freeway links, with limited coverage of urban corridors. Intelematics' TMC service is optimised for Australian market conditions and provides deep urban arterial coverage.
| A Unique Technical Solution - How it Works | return to top |
Whereas journalistic information (traditional eye-in-the-sky traffic reports) is adequate for radio traffic spots, navigation systems require a real-time view of incidents on the entire arterial network in order to provide appropriate urban guidance advice.
The opportunity to provide an affordable urban TMC service in Australia is only possible through the combination of several advanced ITS (intelligent transport system) technologies, in particular the traffic light control systems (particularly SCATS) and specialist traffic flow modelling technology developed by the Australian company Custom Traffic Pty Ltd. Intelematics has been exploring the potential to harness these technologies for several years through a number of tests and pilot projects.
Our most important source of raw traffic flow data is derived from the loop sensor network embedded in the road pavement on the approach to signalised intersections. Virtually all urban (and many regional) signalised intersections are networked to central traffic light control systems in each state. By agreement with the respective road authorities to value-add this data, we are able to develop and drive near real-time link-by-link congestion models.
The output of a congestion model is still a far cry from TMC, and only one of several key information sources. Intelematics has entered into an exclusive agreement with ITIS Holdings, a European leader in TMC technology in respect of technology related to TMC encoding and broadcast. By teaming with ITIS Holdings in this field, we expect to further minimise implementation effort by the navigation industry.
Over time, our intention is to grow the service with other sources of information, including floating point (or probe vehicle) data.
SUNA Traffic Channel is a service that knows all the traffic conditions on all the major roads all the time. This information is sent, via a broadcast signal, to a navigation unit in your car. This unit then navigates you to your destination calculating the best way and where possible avoiding any major traffic snarls.
The SUNA Traffic Channel RDS TMC service is provided using the following basic steps:
- Traffic data is collected from a range of sources. Intelematics will be using data from the state road authorities where available as well as other sources such as direct from motorists.
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This data is processed to produce
two basic types of information
a. Flow data or average speed on a road segment, and
b. Incident data such as road closures, traffic accidents, snow on road etc.
The flow and incident data is then converted into TMC coded messages containing information on the specific traffic event and the location - It is then broadcast out as a silent digitally encoded message as part of the normal FM transmission
- Finally it is received by the car ( or portable navigation unit), decoded and used the navigation unit to calculate the best route from A to B taking the prevailing traffic conditions into account
| Web example of Traffic Information | return to top |
The example below shows how web based traffic information can be provided. This is using sample data from VicRoads.
