Beat the traffic! Part one: HD Traffic
GPS has made getting from A to B easier than ever, but traffic congestion remains a major headache for drivers, and it is a problem that is only going to get worse
GPS has made getting from A to B easier than ever, but traffic congestion remains a major headache for drivers, and it is a problem that is only going to get worse.
Fortunately there are a growing number of solutions that are designed to help you navigate your way around the problem.
From complex systems built into personal navigation devices to simple applications that can be installed onto your mobile phone it is now becoming possible to get a heads up on where the delays are. But how effective are they?
Over the next five days we will be putting some of the leading traffic-avoidance systems through their paces.
Part one: HD Traffic
HD Traffic is a TomTom creation and seen on its x40 Live series of personal navigation devices, and soon to be adopted on the XL range.
It works by integrating a SIM card into the device that maintains a constant connection between the user and TomTom HQ, sharing information on the user’s location and speed to add real-time analysis to additional traffic reports. In simple terms this means that if you are driving at 5mph along a road with a 50mph speed limit this would be reported back to TomTom as an indicator of slow moving traffic.
It would then be reported to a car heading your way and their TomTom device would divert them along another route with a steadier traffic flow. It’s an effective system and is hard to see how it won’t become a common sight in the future.
It’s not without downsides though.
Having the built-in SIM does make it a relatively costly solution, one that requires a monthly subscription on top of the initial outlay. It’s effectiveness is also dependent on the number of users the system has (so it is unlikely that a smaller GPS manufacturer would ever be able to introduce something similar without pooling resources).
And also, in our tests, it seemed to deliver more data – which is generally a good thing – and a few more false positives as well. It is an impressive system, though, and with a little more refinement could become the standard for professional drivers. It may be overkill for more casual users.
Pros:
Delivers almost real-time updates
Live data for greater accuracy
Cons:
Greater number of reports
Coverage depends on number of users in area
Requires monthly subscription
Ease of use: 5/5
Accuracy: 4/5
Value: 3/5
Popularity: 1% [?]
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Actually, the HD Traffic system evolves around something completely different. We do real time measurements of all mobile phone users in the mobile phone network of a carrier (in UK case: Vodafone) and thus create the average travel times on particular road segments.
This is then combined with the live data of our own users (that have SIM cards in their device in order for us to send them the traffic data) .
So your remark about coverage is really not correct.