The Netherlands Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment, Melanie Schultz van Haegen (above, right), has formally opened the new TomTom Traffic Center in Amsterdam at a ceremony highlighting the capabilities of the new facility, which aims to showcase the full portfolio of TomTom’s assets and capabilities in traffic and travel management.
The goal of the new Traffic Center is to demonstrate how TomTom’s technology can help pave the way to smarter cities and smarter mobility. It will showcase traffic management expertise to governments, B2B (business-to-business) and automotive licensing partners, and other stakeholders interested in how they can start planning for a smarter future. The Center will show how the navigation, telematics and traffic intelligence company turns data into actionable insights that can help traffic managers, as well as drivers, make smarter decisions to reduce congestion for all road users and enhance mobility in cities.
Occupying a dedicated room in the TomTom Head Office in Amsterdam, the Traffic Center supports TomTom City, an initiative that offers access to up-to-date traffic information for cities, citizens and professionals in over 100 cities worldwide. The TomTom Traffic Center features multiple high-resolution screens that show how GPS data is fused to create the latest traffic information and visualize congested hotspots. The Center will demonstrate the company’s expertise, and how road authorities can immediately share traffic and road information with drivers via the TomTom communications platform.
TomTom is dedicated to easing congestion for all drivers using the information from over 450 million GPS devices globally, including dedicated portable navigation devices (PNDs), connected smartphone applications, and in-dash navigation and fleet management systems that are integrated with TomTom’s live services.
Commenting on the opening of the Center, Schultz van Haegen, said, “This TomTom Traffic Center is aiming to innovate for services in the field of transport and traffic management. This can contribute to a better distribution of traffic, which benefits governments, businesses and travelers alike, both nationally and internationally. Moreover, TomTom is also mapping the Netherlands with high-quality HD maps, which supports the arrival of self-driving cars.”
Ralf-Peter Schäfer, head of traffic at TomTom, commented, “Our new Traffic Center gives us the perfect setting to showcase our full suite of products that can be used as modules for licensing customers, or as a full suite to help traffic professionals in cities manage their road networks. We can demonstrate how easily we can reach drivers in their cars within minutes of information being shared by road authorities. This is a significant step to help close the gap between drivers, their connected cars and cities, making a contribution to smarter transportation in any smart city development.”
