Press release
PTV expertise in traffic information services now in North America
PTV is developing a national traffic model of the entire U.S., Canada and Mexico for the U.S. company Mygistics.
PTV wins the contract for high-quality traffic information in the U.S. / Creation of novel traffic information services /
An unprecedented approach: Traffic models combined with dynamic data offer the best in predictive traffic and travel time information / First application showcased at TRB in Washington.
Karlsruhe/Kansas City, January 8, 2010. Mygistics, headquartered in Prairie Village, Kansas, has chosen PTV AG and its affiliate PTV America in Portland, Oregon, to generate high-quality traffic information covering the entire U.S., Canada and Mexico. As experts in the field of optimised traffic and transportation solutions, PTV prepares and provides high-quality data. Its traffic planning tools and methods are second to none. The company creates realistic traffic models enriched with dynamic sensor data, and thus provides the most accurate traffic and travel time data available. This technology will create a new generation of applications for mobile navigation, telematics and location-based services.
Avoid traffic delays - thanks to predictive travel times and real-time data
Daily congestion is a problem in America's 437 urban areas and is getting worse. We cannot build enough roads to significantly reduce the $87.2 billion annual loss due to traffic delay. Consequently, there is great interest in managing commercial and personal travel using predictive and real-time traffic information to intelligently route, optimise departure and avoid incidents to improve mobility.
PTV and Mygistics will provide precise and complete traffic information as a basis for new online and offline applications - from consumer telematics, internet portals, and portable navigation to logistics systems and other devices. The objective is to provide citizens new travel services, such as an information service on the internet giving users a complete picture of their daily routes and routing options. Additionally, predictive travel times and real-time data assist transportation planners in controlling and planning traffic volumes.
National Traffic Model for North America
PTV is creating a comprehensive traffic model for Mygistics: a detailed, contiguous model of the entire U.S., Canada and Mexico. The model integrates dynamic data by means of intelligent algorithms and provides up-to-the-minute traffic information.
The two companies will be presenting the first application showing users the current and future traffic flow at this year’s Transportation Research Board (TRB) 89th Annual Meeting in Washington, January 10 – 14.
The model simulates all travellers on the network to accurately predict current and future traffic volumes and travel times. Moreover, it processes sensor data from different sources, such as floating car data (FCD), traffic reports and detector data and completes the coverage, providing actionable traffic information anywhere in the network. Travel time data is assigned to roads (links) in the NAVTEQ and Tele Atlas digital map data set, including freeways, rural and urban highways, arterials and local streets. The result is comprehensive, network-wide predictive travel times and real-time data.
Unlike current solutions, the Mygistics data is generated using accepted principles of traffic engineering. PTV's technology allows Mygistics to create models of unprecedented size. In Europe, PTV's transportation experts have successfully applied the world's largest traffic model on a national scale. They have modelled the entire German road network and are currently preparing the network for the U.K. With the National Traffic Model for North America, PTV is about to enter a new dimension.
The first area modelled has been the greater Chicago/Milwaukee area. Further traffic data for all metropolitan areas in North America will be prepared over the next few years.
"We're very excited to develop our products with PTV's tools and eager to exploit the full capabilities of both the Traffic and Mobility platforms," said Michael Ostrom, Mygistics' CEO. "Also, PTV's simulation tools are second to none and that reputation will allow us to provide the most credible traffic data anywhere."
Daily travel and routing options as an internet service
TrafficBug® is a rich internet application provided by Mygistics. The company has already won the GoingGreen100 Award in the U.S., honouring its novel concept. Travellers can sign up for and use this service free of charge. Registered users are able to optimise their travel to save the most fuel, minimise their emissions or maximise their travel efficiency - saving time, money and frustration. Users may receive alerts, route alternatives and turn-by-turn directions via their desktop, text message or e-mail.
For more information about the latest showcase at TRB, read the press release on hands-on traffic management.
Background information:
The following software is used:
- PTV Validate: PTV technology designed for the development of large-scale traffic models
- PTV TrafficPlatform: technology platform processing and preparing data from various sources The result: analysing traffic and predicting traffic volumes
- PTV xRouteServer: TrafficBug users can store their user profile by specifying route chains, such as Home - Office, Office - Shopping, etc. After entering the starting point and destination, the PTV xRouteServer calculates the routes.
The PTV TrafficPlatform is based on the following traffic engineering methods:
- Within urban areas: measured value propagation
- Outside urban areas: ASDA/photo, a method developed by Daimler
The following data sources are processed:
Historical and current data:
- Data from loop detectors, radar and infrared measurement devices
- Floating car data (FCD)
- Traffic messages (TMC)
- Mobile phone tracking, mobile phone FCD
Mygistics
Founded in July 2007, Mygistics is dedicated to providing the most complete and accurate real-time/predictive traffic and travel data available. Distribution of traffic information is through Mygistics two flagship products: the National Traffic Model® and TrafficBug®. Anyone will be able to sign up for TrafficBug allowing them to manage and optimise their daily travel in a trusted environment. Mygistics is a privately held corporation headquartered in Prairie Village, Kansas.
