Navigation units and Radio stations have quite different requirements for how the traffic is distributed. The world’s second largest public broadcaster, ARD uses TIC to distribute traffic data on a variety of platforms. Read more details below and view the video describing TIC for Traffic News, a new ARD TIC user group, and a profile of Uwe Stump, a GEWI developer involved in how TIC is used by broadcasters.
As we at GEWI celebrate our 20th anniversary, we also welcome Nils Richter, the newest addition to the GEWI development team. Nils’ primary focus will be enhancing TIC to distribute traffic data using the latest high tech VMS signs which display images, such as traffic flow, as well as text.
Should you have any questions on anything in this newsletter, or to discuss your requirements, please contact us at info@gewi.com.
GEWI Technology: Traffic Flow
When viewed on a map, traffic flow is an easy to understand representation of the speed of traffic along a road network.
However, the underlying technology required to collect, process and display the data is rather complex.
Traffic flow can be created from a set of GPS traces from vehicle probes as GEWI does for a taxi fleet in Dubai, or collected as an already aggregated data set.
In addition to GPS, flow data can be created from a variety of other sources including fixed location devices such as:
Loop detectors
Infrared beacons
Traffic cameras
Bluetooth
Sidefire radar
Data can be collected from multiple sources simultaneously.
Flow data is then referenced to road edges and segments and then color coded to represent the speed of travel on the road network. TIC allows customers to determine the thresholds and colors for each speed range.
Traffic flows for routes can also be computed, viewed and distributed whereby customers can create a set of preferred routes.
Incident data can also be created from traffic flow data using TIC’s “Automatically Create” feature. Once a user defined threshold is met, an incident can be created to represent the current state of a specific road segment within the network. The incident then can be automatically distributed, or an operator can be notified to verify and approve the incident message before distribution.
When manually creating incident data, the aggregated traffic flow data for the location of the newly created incident can be used to verify the incident, or even enhance the incident information. This enhancement can include attributes such as average speed, delay time or travel time. The result is a higher quality of data distributed to the end user.
TIC User Group: German Public Broadcaster ARD
ARD is the world’s second largest public broadcaster, behind only the BBC. With over 23,000 employees, ARD operates an extensive network of both Radio and TV stations over their terrestrial broadcast network as well as cable, satellite and IPTV.
TIC is used by six of the nine Federal ARD broadcasters with the first using TIC in 1999. TIC is used to create data and collect data from multiple sources such as police. Traffic data is then distributed using XML, RDS-TMC, and TPEG to websites, smartphones, navigation systems, IVR telephone systems and of course spoken announcements on radio.
Due to the size of the ARD operation and the many ways TIC is used, GEWI has worked with ARD to establish a TIC user group which allows for communication between users and GEWI and offers a means of streamlining the exchange of information.
TIC CONNECTS: Navigation & Information
Since the earliest days of RDS-TMC, GEWI has been a leader in delivering data to navigation devices.
In fact, today, many organizations use TIC to test data to ensure quality and accurate delivery to navigation devices.
GEWI has also been very involved in the development of TPEG, which provides many benefits as the next generation protocol for delivery of a richer data set to navigation devices to create a true “connected vehicle” experience.
In addition to traffic, TIC can be used to deliver many more types of information to the vehicle such as weather, parking, alerts, traffic flow and prediction.
TIC can also be used to collect a variety of types of data from the vehicle which can be used to track vehicle position, or performance of a variety of onboard systems.
This data can then be used by other business systems, or combined with other data and delivered back into the vehicles navigation system.
TIC Product Feature: Distribute
Distribute is the final process of all of the main features of the TIC system, allowing traffic data to be delivered to nearly any type of system or device, simply by creating a new TIC distribute component.
TIC’s flexible architecture is the result of 15 years of development of the TIC product. Now in its fourth generation, TIC3 is used worldwide to distribute traffic data to a wide range of systems and devices including:
Navigation devices
Web sites
IVR systems
Mobile devices
Highway advisory radio
Message signs
…and more
Distribute offers many powerful features to allow different versions of the traffic data to be delivered to specific systems or devices based on many criteria including, data sources, location, message type, and more.
GEWI Welcomes New Developer Nils Richter
GEWI is pleased to welcome product developer Nils Richter as the newest member of GEWI’s development team.
Nils graduated with an Engineering Degree in Geodesy and Geoinformation from Munich’s Universität der Bundeswehr and Communications Engineering Degree from the University of Applied Science in Dresden, Germany.
As with all members of GEWI’s development team, Nils speaks English and German. He also speaks French and Russian. Prior to joining GEWI, Nils was team leader for Terrain Analysis at Eurocorps in Strasbourg France as well as a leader of surveying teams at Bundeswehr Geoinformation office in Kiel, Germany.
One of Nils areas of focus at GEWI will be product development involving the distribution of data using the new high-tech graphical VMS signs that are rapidly gaining in popularity around the world.
Nils enjoys climbing, swimming, biking, alpine sports and studying history.
TIC Product Feature Video – TIC for Traffic News
New Product Videos on GEWI Website
GEWI’s web site now includes videos for several new TIC product features. The videos make it easy for website visitors to self-demonstrate part of the TIC system and to preview specific product features of interest to them.
Available videos include:
– Weather
– Parking
– Work Zone
– GPS
– Cameras
– Traffic & Travel Events
– Mobile Traffic Data Entry
Several 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.
Download New TIC for Traffic Brochure
The TIC3 product allows you to perform many transportation related tasks simply by configuration of this commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software.
Click here to download a product brochure which describes the flexible TIC3 architecture which allows TIC to be used for many purposes including:
-Traffic & Travel Information Services
-Connected Vehicles
-Parking Information
-Navigation System Testing
-Data Harmonization and Exchange
-Work Zones
-Radio Data
-RDS-TMC
-TPEG
As a commercial off-the shelf (COTS) solution, TIC can be deployed much more quickly and cost effectively than custom build-your-own solutions while offering the most advanced features and functionality.
For more information, visit www.gewi.com.
GEWI Newsletter
Jul/Aug 2012
In this Issue
GEWI Technology: Traffic Flow
TIC User Group: ARD
TIC CONNECTS: Navigation & Information
TIC Product Feature: Distribute
Nils Richter Joins GEWI
Video: TIC for Traffic News
TIC Product Videos
Download TIC Brochure
GEWI Profile – Uwe Stump
Quick Links
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TIC Videos
GEWI Website
GEWI on FOX TV
Traffic News for Radio
GEWI Products
GEWI News
GEWI Newsletters
About GEWI
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GEWI Profile
Uwe Stump
Software Development
Uwe’s interest in computer sciences started deep in the ground. He originally studied Geophysics at the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology.
After graduation, he became involved in research and development and interpretation of geophysical well logs. It was here where he wrote his first programs in Visual Basic and had his first experiences with mass data and databases, data format conversions, complex calculations and statistics.
Uwe joined GEWI nearly 12 years ago and is today responsible for GEWI database solutions, web applications (Internet and Intranet) and the nightly build of GEWI’s TIC product.
His programming skills include TSQL, JavaScript, VBScript, Web Development (C#, APS, APS.NET, PSP, HTML), XSLT and Installer frameworks.
Uwe is also responsible for the GEWI website and TIC Web Newsreader which provides broadcasters a tool to read traffic news stories on-air. (see traffic news video in this issue).
Away from GEWI Uwe enjoys reading, swimming, football, mineral and stone collection and is an enthusiastic badminton player.
So the next time you view the GEWI website or hear a traffic report on the radio, keep Uwe Stump in mind as an important part of the GEWI development team which helps keep travelers informed worldwide.
