More Germany IP Communications Stories

IT IS, a traffic information technology leader recently formed a strategic alliance with Telefonica (News - Alert) O2Germany. Under the alliance, IT IS will deliver ITIS PrecisionTraffic technology, which is designed to help overcome the traffic bottlenecks on German roads with the help of more precise traffic flow information.

In a press release, IT IS announced that the company will be using proprietary and patented processes to generate high quality speed and flow information across all roads in Germany on the basis of anonymized mobile location data from the O2 (News - Alert) network. This will make it possible to analyze and predict traffic flows on streets much more precisely. People will be able to reach their desired destination faster.

The BMW Group will be the first carmaker to use the new PrecisionTraffic technology in its vehicles as part of their pan European traffic service which was awarded to MILE Traffic and Travel GmbH, the parent company of ITIS.

Standard navigation devices depend on the traffic message channel (TMC (News - Alert)), which transmits traffic jam reports to them via FM frequencies. So far such information largely came from GPS, fixed sensors, police reports, or individuals who voluntarily reported on the traffic. However such sources often fail to provide enough data to create the accurate traffic information service the German driver demands.

According to IT IS, its PrecisionTraffic in partnership with O2 is specially designed to overcome those limitations. Using anonymous signaling data generated at the network level, over 17 million probes are used in the new service. As a result, traffic congestion can be detected as it happens. The technology does not stop at transmitting traffic information in real time, it also recommends best possible alternative routes to every driver, explained the company.

“ITIS is excited to be partnering with Telefonica O2 to launch our PrecisionTraffic service in Germany which complements our leading service in the UK. We believe that we can offer German drivers the best traffic information service available based on 10 years of investment and R&D in the use of cellular data,” chief executive of ITIS Holdings, the parent company of ITIS Deutschland GmbH Stuart Marks noted in a statement.

In the release, IT IS announced ITIS PrecisionTraffic will be available in second quarter 2011 and is targeted at carmakers, navigation software suppliers and the public sector such as local and federal government.