NEW YORK, NY /PRNewswire/ -- NAVTEQ, a leading global provider of digital map data for location-based solutions and vehicle navigation, will showcase innovative new traffic probe data programs including a Nokia probe data application that significantly advances traffic monitoring at the 2008 ITS World Congress in New York, November 16–20th (Booth 401 at the Javits Convention Center).
NAVTEQ will feature the Mobile Millennium pilot, including NAVTEQ Traffic and utilizing data from GPS enabled Nokia phones. This new application greatly increases the quantity and quality of traffic information by expanding real-time data collection beyond commercially-traveled roadways to consumer-driven side streets and rural roads. Mobile Millennium is one of a series of projects from Nokia Research Center, Palo Alto, demonstrating the use of mobile phones as sensing devices.
The Mobile Millennium pilot was launched November 10th in the San Francisco Bay Area and represents a major technological leap for the traffic industry. Mobile Millennium will enlist more than 10,000 handset owners who have agreed to provide their mobile phone GPS positioning data for the pilot. The data is aggregated using proprietary technology to deliver the most accurate depiction of real world traffic conditions. In addition, Nokia's proprietary privacy technology, Privacy by Design system, continuously filters information to remove any data that could identify an individual phone, minimizing the amount of sensitive information ever created, transmitted or stored.
Considered the "next generation" of traffic information, mobile phone data enhances traffic quality with extended coverage for roadways and times of day that are more relevant to consumers. Additionally, Mobile Millennium leverages previous technological advances and efficiencies for maximum cost-effectiveness and provides privacy protection for mobile phone users.
From 8 a.m. to noon on November 18th, a live demonstration will take place surrounding New York City's Javits Center highlighting real-time collection and broadcast of side street traffic information. During this demonstration, 25 specially-designated vehicles will travel in a loop around Manhattan. Broadcast back to the NAVTEQ booth, this live data will be overlaid on top of the content-rich NAVTEQ Traffic solution and displayed in real-time.
"The inclusion of live mobile data represents a significant technological advance for the traffic industry, and will provide more accurate real-time traffic information for travelers," said Howard Hayes, Vice President, Traffic for NAVTEQ. "Nokia offers more than 10 GPS-enabled phone models—the industry's widest range and this ITS demonstration of Mobile Millennium signals the beginning of utilizing consumer devices as accurate providers of real-time traffic information."
The addition of mobile trace data is a complement to NAVTEQ Traffic's existing collection of comprehensive sources and a vital component of a complete traffic solution. NAVTEQ Traffic relies on its unique Smart Traffic Network comprised of mobile trace data including GPS-enabled commercial and consumer devices; taxis and fleet vehicles as well as fixed sensor data points from toll tag readers and proprietary and government sensors. NAVTEQ's Smart Traffic Processor technology combines and optimizes mobile trace and fixed sensor data points with additional NAVTEQ-collected incident and historical information to deliver complete and accurate travel time predictions.
Commercial deployment of NAVTEQ Traffic services including Nokia's mobile phone data is expected in the first half of 2009.
About NAVTEQ
NAVTEQ is a leading provider of comprehensive digital map information for automotive navigation systems, mobile navigation devices, Internet-based mapping applications, and government and business solutions. NAVTEQ creates the digital maps and map content that power navigation and location-based services solutions around the world. The Chicago-based company was founded in 1985 and has approximately 4,000 employees located in 194 offices and in 42 countries.
About Mobile Millennium
Mobile Millennium is a public pilot that will collect and study traffic data received from GPS-enabled mobile devices and is part of the SafeTrip-21 initiative, the U.S. Department of Transportation's program to significantly advance traffic data collection and traffic information quality.
NAVTEQ and Nokia are collaborating on this cutting-edge project with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), UC-Berkeley's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and the California Center for Innovative Transportation (CCIT).
* Source: Swedish analyst firm Berg Insight, January 15, 2008