With detailed traffic flow data, embedded navigation systems can calculate ideal routes and precise arrival times.
Accompanying the market´s shift to more and more autonomous driving, another topic within the traffic flow context is gaining importance and traction: lane-level information.
Insight #3: The future of traffic flow is lane-level precision
While we are focused today on warning the driver about the traffic situation ahead, and leaving decision-making fully to the driver, the next step is to help the vehicle decide whether it is safe to drive autonomously or not. And looking even further ahead, the future is to communicate real-time traffic information to the vehicle so that it can adapt its driving accordingly and with lane-level accuracy while informing the driver why this happens.
The use cases for such a capability are multiple: Think about a lane-specific traffic jam while exiting the highway, or roadworks resulting in a lane closure. What about jam information where the speeds differ per lane? Or simply different speeds per lane during traffic free flow. Taking it one step further, what about reversible lanes and High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes? Respectively, these are lanes where the direction of travel changes depending on the time of the day, and restricted traffic lanes reserved for vehicles carrying two or more passengers, including carpools, vanpools, taxis and buses.
At TomTom, we are anticipating the automotive world’s needs for precise lane-level data, answering the above questions with concrete solutions, from lane-level hazard warnings, to speeds, turn-dependent events and country-specific data such as HOV.
Insight #4: Traffic flow in your car, onboard or cloud-based in-dash navigation
True to the motto, “the future is in the cloud”, traffic flow information can be found as part of TomTom’s cloud-native in-vehicle navigation software. Our online navigation delivers hyper-fast search, routing, real-time traffic information and map updates, and switches to onboard maps and traffic when there is no data connection available – making sure drivers always have access to the maps and guidance they need.
TomTom’s Navigation for Automotive is easily integrated with any brand, model, or vehicle type, including electric vehicles (EVs), trucks and motorbikes. No matter if you want a more out-of-the-box solution or prefer a customized approach, we deliver the most complete vehicle navigation on the market – as easy-to-use SDKs and APIs to integrate into your very own digital cockpit.
Moving towards a better future
While, at least for now, traffic remains an issue that we can't avoid entirely, accurate traffic flow information helps us get better at outmaneuvering it. With better insight into live congestion and sharper future predictions, we can all make smarter choices that save us time and money and make the roads a safer, cleaner place for everyone.