Ford reckons it's got a valuable new tweak to its satnav systems that will improve traffic avoidance.
If you've ever changed your commute to avoid a traffic jam, only to find thousands of other people had the same idea, Ford's European research centre in Germany has developed a system that avoids this problem. Instead, it gives each driver an individually tailored route.
According to Ford, interactive, dynamic systems will download personalised routes to the vehicle's navigation system from centralised databases. In addition to motorways, the system includes also information about city streets. This individual routing recommendation will also take into account public traffic management strategies that consider issues such as school zones, construction projects and outdoor events.
Ford said the system has been installed in a Ford Galaxy and successfully tested in several cities around Germany. It enables the Galaxy to receive immediate warnings of such events as wrong-way vehicles on motorways or accidents, allowing them to avoid critical situations. The future dynamic routing will also offer other information relevant to the driver, such as the local weather conditions.
The system uses two different transmission methods and protocols that are reliable and immune to interference, both software and hardware, said Ford.
"This will substantially contribute to our efforts to reduce traffic congestion and the noise and environmental pollution going along with it. At the same time, overall productivity will be enhanced if people spend less time stuck in traffic jams. We regard dynamic navigation as a milestone towards intelligent, effective traffic management," said chief technical officer Rudi Kunze.
It's all at the research stage so far, but it could be the future of satnav.
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