{{Short description|Communication of road conditions}} {{more citations needed|date=November 2023}} [[File:401 Traffic Cam.jpg|thumb|Traffic cam]] '''Traffic reporting''' is the near [[Real-time data|real-time]] distribution of information about [[road]] conditions such as [[traffic congestion]], [[detour]]s, and [[traffic collisions]]. The reports help drivers anticipate and avoid traffic problems. [[Car App|Traffic reports]], especially in cities, may also report on major delays to [[Public transport|mass transit]] that does not necessarily involve roads. In addition to periodic broadcast reports, traffic information can be transmitted to GPS units, smartphones, and personal computers.
==Methods of gathering information== There are several methods in use today to gather traffic speed and incident info, ranging from professional reporters, to [[GPS]] crowdsourcing to combinations of both methods. * [[INRIX]] uses its network of over 175 million vehicles and devices to gather speed data from [[mobile phones]], trucks, delivery vans, and other fleet vehicles equipped with GPS locator devices including smart phones and [[Ford SYNC]] and [[Toyota Entune]] and much of Europe, South America, and Africa. * [[Google Traffic]] works by [[crowdsourcing]] the GPS information from phone users. By calculating the speed of users along a stretch of road, Google is able to generate a live traffic map.<ref>{{cite web | last1 = Subramanian | first1 = Karthik | last2 = Srikanth | first2 = R. | title = Now, Apps for Live Traffic Feed | work = The Hindu | date = January 21, 2014 | url = http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/now-apps-for-live-traffic-feed/article5598198.ece }}</ref> Its subsidiary, [[Waze]], also allows users to report directly via a smartphone app. * [[TomTom#TomTom Traffic .28previously HD Traffic.29|TomTom Traffic]] uses crowd-sourced data from mobile phone users, along with data from traditional sources such as induction loops and traffic cameras. * Monitoring [[police radio]] frequencies. Some radio stations have agreements with states' highway patrol that permit a direct connection with a law enforcement computer. This enables real-time information gathering of the latest accident reports to highway patrol divisions {{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}. * Many areas have [[helicopters]] to overfly accident scenes and other areas of high traffic volume. For example, by the company [[Global Traffic Network]]. * [[Traffic camera]] * [[Giditraffic]] is an online social service which employs [[crowd sourcing]] as its primary means of providing real-time traffic updates to subscribers. The service is delivered free of charge. * RoadPal<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.roadpal.ng/ |title=RoadPal |access-date=2022-07-24 |archive-date=2019-03-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302183549/http://roadpal.ng/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> uses [[crowd-sourced]] data from mobile users as well as the social media to provide users with traffic information of places of interest to them. * Roadside [[speed sensor]]s, either infrared sensors for spot measurements or [[automatic number plate recognition]] for measuring speed between two sites ([[Trafficmaster]] have a network of sensors on motorways and trunk roads in the UK).
==Methods of transmitting information== * GPS units (see [[Integration of traffic data with navigation systems]]) * Smartphones * Radio via voice [[Radio Data System|RDS]], and [[Traffic Announcement|TA]] * [[Variable-message sign|Electronic road signs]] * [[5-1-1]] traffic information phone line or similar. * Television and web
==Providers== * [http://www.ttwnetwork.com Total Traffic & Weather Network] is the largest provider of real time broadcast traffic information in the United States. TTWN's broadcast traffic information appears on hundreds of radio and television stations as well on a multitude of automotive and gps navigation systems throughout the United States. TTWN traffic reports reach approximately 125M commuters per month. In 2011, TTWN acquired then competitor Metro Networks for $125M, about one-tenth of the company's $1B sale price to Westwood One a decade earlier. In 2006, TTWN partnered with BMW to become the first company in the United States to bring a product to the consumer market that displayed real time traffic information on an in-vehicle navigation system. TTWN's parent company is iHeart Media Networks. * [[NAVTEQ]] provides data used in a wide range of applications, including [[automotive navigation system]]s for many car makers. Most clients use Navteq to provide traffic reports in major metropolitan areas throughout North America. NAVTEQ partners with third-party agencies and companies to provide its services for portable GPS devices made by [[Garmin]], [[Lowrance]], [[NDrive]] and web-based applications such as [[Yahoo! Maps]], [[Bing Maps]], and [[Nokia Maps]]. [[XM Satellite Radio]] and [[Sirius Satellite Radio]] use NAVTEQ data to show traffic information on navigation systems.
NAVTEQ's media services was spun out to form Radiate Media in 2011, which subsequently merged with Global Traffic Network in 2016, forming US Traffic Network (USTN).
* [[Tele Atlas]], a subsidiary of [[TomTom]]. delivers digital [[map]]s and other dynamic content for [[navigation]] and [[location-based service]]s, including personal and [[Automotive navigation system|in-car navigation]] systems, and provides data used in a wide range of mobile and [[Web mapping|Internet map]] applications. * Google Maps uses a variety of governmental and private traffic reporting organizations to provide information, along with its [[Waze]] subsidiary, which uses [[crowdsourcing]] to provide observed traffic conditions.
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Journalism}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Road transport]] [[Category:Journalism]] [[Category:Road traffic management]]