RAC Trafficmaster Telematics has signed a three year agreement with satellite navigation system maker Garmin Ltd to provide RDS TMC (radio data system traffic message channel) traffic information for Garmin’s top-line satellite navigation products.
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RDS TMC, first introduced to the UK on factory-fitted sat-nav systems by Toyota, and now widely adopted by other car makers, allows drivers to re-route around traffic hold-ups before they are delayed by them.
Garmin said it chose Trafficmaster over other UK based RDS TMC providers because it believes it offers “the most accurate and robust traffic service”.
Trafficmaster collates traffic data in real time from a nation-wide network of around 7,500 roadside sensors. In conjunction with this, the RAC works with police forces and local authorities to collate incident information, which is fed into the network to ensure the data is statistically robust.
The data is then disseminated through agreements held with GCap Media and Chrysalis Radio and is transmitted to sat-nav units through the RDS bandwidth of commercial radio station broadcasts via an RDS TMC receiver.
RDS TNC-compatible sat-nav units display congested areas on a colour-coded map and automatically calculate new routes around them.
