November, 2008
Leading vehicle tracking company Tracker, and TrafficNet, a top independent aggregator of traffic incident information, have joined forces to launch TrafficTracker - South Africa’s first countrywide real-time traffic information system.
In South Africa, traffic reports which are broadcast on radio and television are based on qualitative and sometimes incomplete information gathered, for example, from passing motorists or from traffic authorities.
The difference with TrafficTracker is that, for the first time in South Africa, technology has been brought to bear to create a live and highly accurate picture of actual traffic conditions on major routes and in city centres throughout the country, in real-time.
How it works
Tracker has become a household name in vehicle tracking, offering a variety of Stolen Vehicle Recovery (SVR) and vehicle monitoring solutions to the owners of more than 550 000 vehicles in South Africa. The company’s flagship product, Tracker SkyTrax, is fitted to some 80 000 vehicles.
Due to the advanced technology of the GPS-based SkyTrax device, Tracker is able to pinpoint where each of these vehicles is traveling at any time, virtually anywhere in South Africa. But it’s more than this. The devices also determine and communicate the speed at which the vehicles are traveling. With each and every SkyTrax device reporting this information every 2 to 3 minutes, Tracker currently processes more than 8 million messages per day pertaining to the speed and location of the 80 000 SkyTrax tracking devices on South African roads.
Utilising this data, average speeds can be determined for sections of road at any time. By then overlaying the information compiled by TrafficNet, which runs a highly efficient National Call Centre that receives incident reports from a wide variety of sources, the most comprehensive picture of traffic flow patterns and incidents available in South Africa today can be generated.
“With just Tracker’s information alone, we are able to see where there is congestion on the roads and where traffic is flowing freely. However, by overlaying TrafficNet’s information on top of ours we can understand what the reasons for the congestion are,” says Tracker’s Marketing Director, Michael Du Preez.
Possible applications
TrafficTracker is currently in its final test phase, and some applications based on the information it provides are already under development. The next stage will be to devise and develop further applications that will make this powerful information available to the people that need it most: vehicle operators, and the various agencies responsible for the country’s road network.
“In a few weeks time, we will be able to offer TrafficTracker to companies and organizations that have a vested interest in obtaining accurate traffic information, ranging from cellular companies and news agencies, to local and national government agencies, emergency services, etc. We are also keen to partner with people who want to develop applications based on this technology. What’s so exciting for us is that the potential applications are almost endless,” says John Clements, a director of TrafficNet which has partnered with Tracker in the development of TrafficTracker.
“Imagine waking up in the morning and, before you climb into your car, you receive an SMS detailing the precise current traffic situation on your route to work, as well as suggested routes where traffic is flowing more freely. Now, imagine you’re driving along and there is an accident five or ten kilometers ahead of you. TrafficTracker would be able to pick it up within a very short while and has the potential to notify you of an alternative route. It’s a very powerful offering,” explains Clements.
A demonstration
To demonstrate the effectiveness of TrafficTracker log onto www.traffictracker.co.za. A map of the Buccleuch interchange in Gauteng has been posted there. The different colours of the roads represent the current average speeds of the vehicles traveling on the N1, N3 and the various on- and off-ramps. Speeds are updated at 5-minute intervals.
Here is a 'frame grab' of the very basic test map upon which the information will be placed and sourced:
Picture (Device Independent Bitmap) Red means less than 30km/h, yellow is 30 - 59 km/h, green is 60 - 89 km/h and blue is more than 90km/h
“The brilliant thing about TrafficTracker is that, for the first time, we have an accurate and uncomplicated way of sampling traffic flow. We can even predict journey-times to destinations for motorists and go so far as to report on waiting-times in queues at border posts and toll gates. It really is an exciting initiative and one that has the potential to not only save people and businesses time and money, in terms of having to spend less time in their vehicles, but can even have a further ‘greening’ effect as, theoretically, vehicles can be used more efficiently on our roads, with less carbon emissions,” explains Du Preez.
Some quick-fire facts about TrafficTracker:
· Tracker-fitted trucks have been excluded from the project as their low speeds would complicate the mapping picture.
· If necessary, average speed information can be provided on a lane-by-lane basis, as a result of the inherent accuracy of GPS location technology.
Basic background information on Tracker and TrafficNet:
Tracker
· Tracker is South Africa’s leading vehicle tracking company, having recovered more stolen and hijacked vehicles - which has led to more arrests - than any other tracking company in Africa
· Tracker currently protects more than 550 000 vehicles throughout South Africa
· Tracker is the only vehicle tracking company to benefit from a formal partnership with the South African Police Service
TrafficNet
· TrafficNet collects its information from a wide range of sources, such as the motoring public, traffic and emergency services, government agencies, toll road operators, contractors, event organizers etc.
· TrafficNet currently confirms and consolidates traffic information into its central incident database from where it is disseminated by various means, including:
- live reads over radio and television
- through a password-protected website
- via corporate/institutional intranets
- via various public websites (such as Joburg.org.za)
- via XML feeds to cellular channels
- via email ‘alerts’ to logistics companies
For more information, contact TrafficTracker’s Michael Du Preez on (011) 380 0300, 083 303 6672 or mdupreez@tracker.co.za. Or alternatively, contact John Clements on 082 334 1211 or john@trafficnet.co.za.
And remember to visit www.traffictracker.co.za to explore the potential of TrafficTracker.