Greetings!

Much has changed in the world of traffic and technology since GEWI opened its doors in 1992. One of the transformational trends globally is crowd-sourced data such as provided by Waze and other organizations creating traffic flow and incidents from user generated content.

In this issue we'll describe how GEWI's TIC Product can be used with crowd-sourced data and introduce you to GEWI developer Matthias Kroll who is responsible for the development of TIC Server components related to this data.

Radio continues to be an important source for traffic information and TIC for Traffic News Announcements is now being used by German Public Radio.  Read more about those details and watch a video demonstrating the announcer-friendly features for Traffic News in TIC.

Should you have any questions about anything in this newsletter, learn more about GEWI's 25 year history or discuss your requirements please contact us at info@gewi.com.

TIC Connects:  Road Agencies and Waze 
In December 2016, GEWI and Waze announced a global partnership to provide public agencies worldwide an "off-the-shelf" solution for collecting, harmonizing, verifying and integrating Waze data with existing public agency data using GEWI's TIC software.

Since then, GEWI has been busy analyzing how the Waze data can be used with the many TIC Product Solutions.

GEWI developer Matthias Kroll (profiled in this issue) has developed a component to collect the Waze data, and the GEWI data structure has been modified to enable the Project feature to be used by various types of data collected from Waze.

One example of how this benefits public agencies would be when a pothole is reported in the Waze data.  TIC could automatically create a pothole repair project and notify the operator, or other responsible party to take the appropriate steps, as defined by the agency, to resolve the problem.

This same process can be applied using other types of data generated by Waze users, and used by TIC Solutions including:
Another major benefit of collecting the Waze data into the TIC system is to use the Relation feature to visualize the Waze data associated with all other collected data from cameras, speed sensors, and other systems.  

This allows the operator to quickly verify the Waze data and then, if needed, modify an existing event, create a new event, or take any other appropriate action. 

As a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution, TIC can be deployed more quickly and at a lower cost than custom-built solutions.
 
For more information about how TIC features can be used to integrate Waze data and improve traffic operations, contact jim.oneill@gewi.com

TIC3 Product Changes Prepare for Busy Year 
TIC 3 Ballgame Logo
Every Friday at the GEWI offices a new version of the TIC Software is released for testing.  This weekly version includes new features identified by market analysis and requested by customers who use the TIC Software as a solution for processing traffic data. 

In 2016, GEWI developers made a total of 475 product changes, including new features such as the work zone management, work zone traffic control cell to allow operators to visualize lane closures, project feature improvements, statistics, safety messages, ability to make and receive telephone within TIC and the ability to create documents, such as work zone permits.  
The TIC Newsreader Client is also used by radio stations to create a broadcast friendly "ready-for air" script and 2016 saw several improvements to make the TIC Newsreader more user-friendly and available without the need for a TIC system to be installed. 

The Project feature creates a step-by step response plan which can be customized to each organization's specific business process. Each type of collected data can now automatically create a project. For example, information collected about potholes can automatically create a repair project and the appropriate person can be notified to take the appropriate steps to resolve, based on the specific process of the customer organizations.

Work zones receive many of the product changes last year including the ability to create work zone permit documents directly in TIC, the addition of an operator friendly work zone traffic control cell (shown at left) where an operator can visualize the lanes under construction and quickly reassign the new traffic control patterns based on the work zone project details. Many of the Project features are also used by the TIC work zone solution to enable organizations to plan and manage complex multi-phase work zones including creating and the associated traffic information across multiple channels. 

Changes were made to ensure TIC is compatible with the EU requirements for Safety Related Messages, and a new analytics feature allows statistical data to be created from traffic and travel events, traffic news, work zones, system monitoring and performance of teams and users. 

Product changes to several TIC product features improved the TIC for Road Incident Management solution including the new telephone feature which allows telephone calls to be placed and received by operators directly through the TIC system. 

Finally, at the end of 2016 a partnership between GEWI and Waze was announced and as the year ended work began on a component was created to allow for Waze data to be collected by TIC and available to all relevant TIC Product Features including harmonization of Waze data with existing data and public agency systems. 

Many more product changes are planned for 2017, GEWI's 25th year in business, which could make this anniversary year one of the best in company history.


Matthias Defée Named GEWI Executive Director 
Global traffic software leader GEWI Europe announces the elevation of Matthias Defée to the position of Executive Director. Defée joined GEWI as Product Manager in 2002 and over the years has advanced through the positions of Business Development Manager and since 2008, Director of Customer Projects, Worldwide.

With both a degree in Computer Science and MBA, Defée has the background, skills and experience to understand both the technical and business requirements involved in the increasingly complex traffic market. 

Over the years, Defée has managed many high profile projects including Viasuisse (Switzerland), Dubai Road Transport Authority (UAE) and recently many Work Zone projects such as in Hesse and North Rhine Westphalia (Germany). He is also responsible in dealing with the strategy and implementation of GEWI's hosted (cloud) solutions.  

"Matthias has been an important part of both the TIC Product and GEWI as a company over the last 15 years" said Hagen Geppert, GEWI founder.  "As GEWI celebrates our 25th year in business, his experience, leadership and understanding of the traffic market will be key to GEWI's continued growth in the future".

GEWI is the developer of the TIC product, a commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS) platform used for information services.  TIC provides solutions for government agencies, commercial service providers, radio stations, car and navigation manufacturers and automobile clubs. Founded in 1992, GEWI has become a global company with corporations in Europe, North America, and Asia. 


TIC Traffic News for Radio Used for HR Traffic Broadcasts 
In July of 2016, GEWI was selected after a public bid process to provide a traffic news system for Hessischer Rundfunk (HR), a Germany Public Radio station for the German state of Hesse, based in Frankfurt. HR is a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) which includes organizations such as the BBC.

The public tender required solution to collect, create and aggregate traffic information to be broadcast on the HR stations which include five different radio formats. Furthermore, the traffic information is distributed to TV channels, internet platforms & telephone hotline. Navigation systems can receive their data by RDS-TMC & TPEG.

The HR traffic solution is based on the TIC for Traffic News solution and was deployed in less than six months after the bid was awarded to GEWI.  As of January 2017, the new system is in productive use by HR.

TIC for Traffic News supports multiple languages and enables each announcer to customize the traffic reports based on the type of content and length of broadcast required for their particular station format. All of this is accomplished using a simple web browser which also makes it convenient to operate when announcers are out of the studio on a remote broadcast.

TIC for Traffic News is used by radio broadcasters in Germany & Switzerland and is available as a solution to be used worldwide. Traffic News is just one of the many solutions for which the TIC Software may be configured.  

Founded in 1992, GEWI develops TIC software, a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) product used worldwide by both commercial and government customers.
TIC is used for many types of traffic related projects including traffic and travel events, road incident management, navigation testing, and real-time navigation and connected services.  

For more information visit www.gewi.com.


Video:  TIC for Traffic News Announcements
 


TIC Solutions on GEWI Website 
Over the past 24 years GEWI has become recognized as a global leader in traffic and travel information software and as the TIC product has added solutions and product features it has become more challenging to describe the many ways TIC can be used as a solution.
 
As GEWI approaches the company's 25th anniversary in 2017, a new website has been launched to better reflect the continual evolution of the TIC Software.

What today is known as TIC (originally for Traffic Info Centre, but now evolved into much more), was developed in its first generation as TMC Office when it was initially deployed in 1997.  Now in its fourth generation, TIC has evolved into a true commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) for many market solutions described on the new website:
The new website also has improved navigation features and new page layout which makes it easier to relate specific TIC product features to market solutions.

We invite you to check www.gewi.com to see the latest improvements including the ability to submit customer feedback which is an important part of the GEWI product development process.

New TIC Brochure and Leaflets for GEWI Market Solutions
 
GEWI has recently updated its videos, TIC brochure, and leaflets to help customers quickly and more thoroughly understand the market solutions which can be implemented using TIC.

The new leaflets feature the latest information and features for each market solution. Existing customers are encouraged to view and read the information because GEWI is constantly adding more features and functions in new innovative ways.

Click the link below to view and download the brochure and leaflets:
As a commercial off-the shelf (COTS) solution, TIC can be deployed and expanded much more quickly and cost effectively than custom build-your-own solutions while offering the most advanced features and functionality.

To schedule a demonstration, or for more information contact a GEWI representative in your region.

Product Videos on GEWI Website
 
GEWI's web site includes videos for many of the TIC Solutions using TIC product features. These videos make it easy for website visitors to self-demonstrate the TIC system and to view how specific product features can be used for a variety of public and private sector markets. 

More videos are being produced to provide an introduction to other TIC product features, so check www.gewi.com occasionally to view the new videos.

GEWI Newsletter

Jan/Feb 2017

In This Issue
Quick Links
 GEWI Profile

Matthias Kroll
Product Developer
2017 marks Matthias' tenth year working in GEWI's product development team. 

Before joining GEWI, Matthias graduated with a degree in computer science with emphasis on computer engineering from Anhalt University in Köthen, not far from GEWI's offices in Bernburg, Germany.

Matthias is skilled in programming in C#, C++ for Windows and Objective-C and Cocoa framework for Mac.

His work on the TIC product included the TIC Server core, client/server communications, TIC Server component framework, system monitoring, data validation, web services, and TIC Server components. 

TIC Server components are an important part of the TIC Product which allows TIC to collect and distribute data in many different formats which has been fused, merged and harmonized by the TIC software. 

Two examples of components created by Matthias include one which is used for collecting processing and distributing road sensor data and another to collect Waze traffic data into the TIC system. 

As with all GEWI developers, Matthias is fluent in both English and German.