TomTom’s digital mapping subsidiary, Tele Atlas, has officially launched HD Traffic today, as well as announcing the latest version of its MultiNet mapping database.
Tele Atlas HD Traffic, which pulls off of TomTom’s service of the same name, aggregrates real-time traffic data from anonymous GPS readings from personal navigation devices and mobile phones, road sensors and journalistic data, fuses the information and makes it available in the form of real-time traffic updates. Available to individuals, fleets, governments and in-vehicle markets, Tele Atlas HD Traffic helps drivers avoid traffic jams and poor road conditions in order to save time and money, and of course, the occasional headache. The data, which is updated every 3 minutes, is only available currently in Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
MultiNet 2009.06, the latest version of company’s mapping database, includes 18, 000 kilometers of new roads resulting in almost complete coverage of Romania. Much of the Romanian coverage was contributed by the PND-using community as part of 500, 000 new community edits from over 30 countries. The edits comes from TomTom’s MapShare program which allows GPS users to contribute new mapping information, similar to how OpenStreetMap has built its comprehensive map of the world. Tele Atlas claims the volume of community map edits has grown 1000 percent since the fourth quarter of 2008, likely as a result of access to TomTom’s MapShare information. New mapping information is also sourced from a variety of other sources including government documents, aerial and satellite imagery, truck drivers and construction companies.
To get a good overview of Tele Atlas’ HD Traffic service straight from the proverbial horse’s mouth, you can download a podcast with the company’s Rik Temmink here.
