Inrix Traffic Prediction Capability on deCarta's LBS Platforms

Inrix announced a partnership with deCarta that should speed some predictive traffic capability to end-users (you and me). This would allow us to take a look at what traffic patterns WILL BE not what they are now, when you want to travel. So it takes into consideration historical information and cuccrent conditions to predict that traffic will be slow in the rain this afternoon at the middle of rush hour, instead of the naïve idea that road speeds will be the same as the posted speed limit (how most GPS units run right now).

The Inrix data will be available on deCarta’s Traffic Manager on their Drill Down Server platform…. I’ll try to let you know when this makes it to an end user product.

press release follows...

deCarta and INRIX Deliver Industry First: Predictive Traffic Now Available Via a Location-Based Services Platform
Industry innovators collaborate to deliver first-of-its-kind solution for
mobile navigation, enterprise and Internet location-based services

SAN JOSE, CA and KIRKLAND , Wash. – November 12, 2007 – deCarta, the leading supplier of software platforms and services for the Location-Based Services (LBS) industry, and INRIX®, the leading provider of traffic flow information in the U.S., today announced the immediate availability of INRIX’s Predictive Flow for deCarta’s geospatial software platform. INRIX predictive traffic services can now be easily integrated via the deCarta Traffic Manager™ extension to its Drill Down Server® geospatial platform. This industry-innovating enhancement will allow deCarta customers to add real-time traffic and incident information, and for the first time, predictive traffic services to their location-based solutions.

The integration of deCarta’s Traffic Manager and INRIX’s Predictive Flow traffic technology provides developers the ability to deploy next-generation traffic services which can predict driving times and optimal routes well into the future. This allows users to make plans based on accurate travel times, whether for planning personal travel on an internet mapping site or for optimizing routes and delivery schedules for mobile workers in enterprise applications. INRIX provides coverage in more markets and more roadways within markets than any other company.

The availability of truly dynamic, predictive traffic flow information revolutionizes deCarta’s ability to deliver new levels of traffic-aware applications from enterprise to consumer. "The solid partnership between deCarta and INRIX continues to lead the industry with innovative, accurate and relevant applications that address user expectations,” said J. Kim Fennell , president and CEO of deCarta. "With the addition of INRIX Predictive Flow combined with traffic-aware routing enabled in DDS, millions of drivers, from the general public to the enterprise, will be able to reduce their daily drive time, and also pre-plan their optimum routes up to five days in advance."

Putting the power of predictive traffic information into the hands of consumers and enterprise users for the first time represents a monumental shift in technological advancements for next-generation location-based solutions. Leveraging technology originally invented at Microsoft Research, INRIX employs Bayesian statistics to make predictions about future traffic conditions – whether they are 15 minutes, 5 days or 12 months into the future -- determining the combination of factors that will influence future traffic patterns and uniquely developing an in-depth understanding of what traffic is like in each metropolitan area.

"The speed, flexibility and scalability of deCarta’s Drill Down Server platform and the superior routing functionality of Traffic Manager are a natural fit with INRIX traffic information,” commented INRIX president and CEO, Bryan Mistele. “The continued collaboration between INRIX and deCarta will allow our mutual customers to rapidly deploy next-generation traffic-oriented applications."

deCarta’s Traffic Manager extension interfaces to INRIX Traffic feeds and correlates traffic-related information to a route using deCarta's Drill Down Server geospatial software platform. Predictive flow information, real-time incident and traffic flow information is mapped to specific locations and then overlaid onto the route -- optimizing the route by considering real-time flow information as traffic conditions change. Traffic Manager enables applications to display predictive traffic conditions and routing options for up to five days in advance, in addition to real-time traffic conditions and search for traffic incidents relative to location and provide detour options by calculating alternate routes around traffic jams, and around any incident that might impact traffic-including accidents and road construction.

November 16, 2007

Inrix Traffic Prediction Capability on deCarta's LBS Platforms