NAVTEQ upgrades historical average speed data

NAVTEQ has announced a major update to their historical average speed database, which can be used to generate improved routing and more accurate arrival time estimates. Dash users will be familiar with the concept, since the Dash Express uses competitor INRIX’s historical average speed data.

Perhaps with the new database, we’ll finally see this integrated into Garmin GPS devices. Apparently, Garmin has felt that previous versions of the data were not good enough to use.

Read on for the full press release:

NAVTEQ , a leading global provider of digital map data for location-based solutions and vehicle navigation, announced the availability of NAVTEQ Traffic Patterns(TM) North America v3.0, a significantly updated historic database which includes typical traffic speeds on nearly one million miles of primary and secondary roads across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.      

NAVTEQ Traffic Patterns gives product developers and service providers a reliable, easy-to-use data set for a variety of smart-routing applications. Routing applications utilizing NAVTEQ Traffic Patterns put at drivers’ fingertips the information they need to decide when and how to avoid typically congested areas. From commuters to emergency service providers, NAVTEQ Traffic Patterns enables more accurate route planning and improves trip time estimates based on likely traffic conditions.      

NAVTEQ Traffic patterns is created using historical observations from GPS probe and sensor data which is aggregated, verified and then matched to traffic location codes in the NAVTEQ Map database.

Traffic Patterns v3.0 includes:

• Additional coverage for the U.S. and the inclusion of Puerto Rico and Canada
• Expanded coverage on high-volume surface roads including interconnecting highways, which provides more alternate routing options
• Additional probe source data for existing roads (contributing to more than five billion processed GPS probe points)
• A holiday traffic appendix featuring historical traffic patterns for national holidays in the U.S. and Canada

“NAVTEQ Traffic Patterns v.3.0 demonstrates up to 33% improvement in travel time accuracy when compared with typical speeds and posted speed limits on freeways and surface roadways,” commented Howard Hayes, Vice President, Traffic for NAVTEQ. “For example, NAVTEQ Traffic Patterns details specific road segment speed information that can indicate daily congestion on I-94 in Chicago between 9 and 10 a.m. instead of relying on the posted speed limits. By matching the traffic data to location markers in our map and driving thousands of miles of roads to test for accuracy, NAVTEQ Traffic Patterns offers a comprehensive, high quality solution for application developers to offer more routing features for
today’s navigation products.”