On July 4, the VICS Center (VICS Center) announced that it will expand nationwide verification experiments of a service that utilizes probe information for car navigation systems.
This probe information distribution service was launched in collaboration with the Japan Road Traffic Information Center (JARTIC) with the cooperation of Toyota Motor Corporation, Nissan Motor Co. The nationwide area will finally be expanded on July 4, 2010.
Since VICS-compatible car navigation systems can be used without additional costs or settings (the display on the map varies depending on the car navigation system manufacturer), it is expected to improve time and economic losses due to traffic congestion as well as CO2 reduction, while optimizing route calculation and estimated arrival time on the car navigation system.
VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) is mainly used in in-vehicle car navigation systems and displays various traffic information such as traffic congestion, congestion, regulations, and obstacles on a map (Level 3). Of course, drivers must have seen this system at least once before, as it is basically a standard feature of genuine car navigation systems from car manufacturers. Other systems that provide information using beacons such as optical and radio waves are also available, but these are often optional. However, some ETC2.0 on-board units have built-in beacons, so you may be benefiting from them without even knowing it.
This function is achieved by JARTIC collecting information on traffic congestion and regulations obtained from police forces and road administrators such as expressways nationwide, editing and processing the information at the VICS Center, and transmitting it to the car navigation system. Therefore, the number of roads where information can be provided has been limited because it is necessary to have detectors installed on the roads to recognize traffic conditions.
In 2007, Pioneer (Carrozzeria) started providing “Smart Loop Traffic Jam Information” with its “Raku Navi” system. In 2007, Pioneer (Carrozzeria) started providing “Smart Loop Traffic Information” with its “Raku Navi” in 2007, and later automobile manufacturers entered the market, making it a competitive area for each company to gain an advantage.
With this probe information, the length of roads for which VICS traffic information is provided has doubled. According to the April data, the length of roads covered by conventional VICS was only 75,767 km, but this has increased to 167,784 km when probe information is taken into account.
VICS information is provided for roads with a code called “VICS link,” which is divided into units such as intersections, and traffic congestion and other information is displayed for each of these units. Since the VICS link is only provided for roads 5.5m or wider, it does not cover roads in residential areas or roads that are called “bypasses”. Conversely, if VICS information is displayed, it means that the road can be traveled with some margin. It is important to note that when road information is changed due to the construction of new intersections, the VICS link is also changed. To use VICS effectively, it is necessary to update the map of the car navigation system within a certain period of time.
The actual representation on the NAVS map differs slightly depending on the manufacturer. Pioneer, for example, uses dotted arrows for its proprietary Smart Loop traffic jam information and solid arrows for VICS information, including probe information. Panasonic, on the other hand, displays conventional VICS information as solid lines and probe information as white arrows or double dotted lines. If you have a car navigation system installed in your car, it might be interesting to check it out.
Mr. Toshiaki Hongo, Managing Director of the Road Traffic Information and Communication Systems Center, mentioned two major features of the VICS probe: “It provides information only on passenger cars, not including information on pedestrians, motorcycles, buses, etc.” and “It is extremely accurate because it uses vehicle speed pulses and various sensors in addition to GPS. The difference between probe information and the map information provided by smartphones and other devices is that probe information is “only for passenger cars and does not include information on pedestrians, motorbikes, buses, etc.
He also commented that the conventional VICS system would not be able to provide information in the event of a power failure due to a typhoon, etc., and the loss of power to the detectors, but the system could continue to provide information through probe information. He also noted that since data is collected with the cooperation of multiple manufacturers, even if data cannot be obtained for some vehicles due to a communication carrier malfunction, the information can continue to be provided by using information from other vehicles using other communication carriers.
In a user survey conducted in the area where the demonstration experiment had already started, some users commented that they were grateful that information was provided on roads where no information was available before, while others said that the information was not correct.
In closing, he said, “We hope that the expansion of this demonstration experiment will lead to smoother traffic, environmental preservation, improved safety, and economic growth. The VICS Center will continue to contribute to Japan’s traffic society in cooperation with related organizations and companies. The VICS Center will continue to work with related organizations and companies to contribute to Japan’s traffic society,” he concluded.
© Source travel watch
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