In-vehicle Traffic Information Systems in Europe: Never Mind the (Band)Width, Feel the Quality

Abstract

The ever-increasing number of vehicles on the road has created a serious demand for traffic information not only on the move but also at the planning stage of a journey. While on the move, the driver will be able to re-route his/her journey avoiding traffic congestion, but this information could be even more valuable before starting the journey. Today there are differences between the three main ITS markets (USA, Japan and Europe). Japan is leading the way, with the introduction in 1995 of the Vehicle Information Communication System (VICS), which is a free service. Vehicles are equipped with VICS receivers taking information from a network of road beacons installed on main roads, transmitting traffic flows by infrared rays, wave beacons, and FM multiplex broadcast. Europe has been involved in driver information systems from the early '90s when RDS was developed, which is another free service, and most of the car radios sold in Europe are able to process RDS signals. Since then, new free services have been developed – for example, RDS-TMC. In the UK, the private sector has been heavily involved recently, its major player being Trafficmaster. The Trafficmaster system is based on a network of traffic detection sensors, which covers all major UK motorways and most of the major A roads, with plans to expand into the continent. Trafficmaster collects road traffic flows and disseminates this information to its subscribers via a range of technologies, including GSM. The quality of the information supplied by the free and subscription services can be improved by being fully integrated with on-board navigation systems and by providing more detailed and wider types of information. All current methods are described/analysed and compared in this paper, with future enhancement highlighted. One of the main limitations lies in current data transmission routes, which are not fast enough to support the data required for an optimal use of the system. Some technologies available will potentially allow the many service providers to transmit information.