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GPS-based system keeps traffic flowing in Denmark

GPS-based system keeps traffic flowing in Denmark

By eeNews Europe



Inrix has access to thousands of GPS-equipped vehicles participating in the Floating Car Data scheme. These are in the first place corporate vehicle fleets, rental cars and taxis, but increasingly private connected vehicles whose drivers have some kind of connected service with their vendor – like, for example, BMW’s ConnectedDrive, Toyota’s Entune apps suite or General Motor’s Onstar. These services read out the GPS data from the vehicle’s navigation system and transmit them in an anonymized format to service providers like Inrix. Other services like Floating Phone Data are generated by measuring the speed at which vehicles (or, to be more exact: The cellphones installed in the vehicles) are handed over from one radio cell to the other. This type of traffic flow measurement is widespread but not as exact as the GPS-based approach.

Vejdirektoratet started working with GPS-based traffic flow data about ten years ago, but now the authority has access to data that provide a complete image of the traffic situation over the country’s 4000 km of public roads – at the high precision only possible with satellite-based navigation. Combined with conventional methods of traffic monitoring – like cameras or induction loops – the data provided by Inrix result in a comprehensive overview of the traffic situation in real-time. “This system helps us to faster detect traffic stalls and congestions, issue stall warnings earlier and prevent traffic events, with the overall effect of a more quiet and relaxed traffic flow throughout Denmark”, said Charlotte Vithen, head of the traffic planning department at Vejdirektoratet.

Besides data service provider Inrix, the global consulting services provider COWI as well as German services and software vendor TraffGo are participating in the project.

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