At the Smart City World Congress currently taking place in Barcelona, Spain, leading global provider of maps and traffic data TomTom has announced an agreement with the UK’s Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) that will see the company help to drive insights into new transport and mobility projects.
TomTom will supply map and traffic data for use in TSC’s Intelligent Mobility Data Hub (IMDH) platform, which provides data sets and a platform for modelers, researchers, academics, and small and medium enterprises looking to plan and develop new products and services in the fields of transport and mobility. TSC will also use TomTom mapping and traffic data to deliver internal research and development project work.
TomTom offers maps with frequent incremental updates and applies strict quality assurance procedures. The company also harvests location intelligence and observed speed data from a community of more than 500 million smartphones, cars and portable navigation devices providing GPS data points. This database now extends to over 19 trillion datapoints, with observed speed data available back to 2009 in the UK. This vast resource will provide TSC with valuable insights into travel behavior.
“We selected TomTom due to their unique ability to provide detailed maps along with both live and historical traffic data in the UK to enhance our IMDH platform,” said Eifion Jenkins, TSC’s program director. “Data is key to the development of new transport products and services that provide holistic mobility solutions. Businesses will be better enabled to solve the UK’s biggest transport challenges, such as congestion and pollution, with access to valuable data sets like this one.”
Anders Truelsen, managing director of TomTom’s licensing business, commented, “This agreement again demonstrates how we are teaming with industry leaders to transform mobility across the world. Leveraging our map and traffic technology, TSC is aiding companies looking to plan, model and search out new opportunities in intelligent mobility, helping to pave the way toward greener, safer and less congested travel.”
At the congress, TomTom has also launched its new Route Monitoring service, designed to address the growing road congestion challenges faced by smart cities worldwide. The system is designed to help traffic managers, event managers and emergency service dispatchers monitor travel times and delays on routes of interest as they happen, and inform the public of delays and alternative routes through smartphones, in-car systems and variable message signs.
