The worst snowfall in the UK for 13 years didn’t faze TomTom LIVE users yesterday. In fact, national news services used the data collected by these devices and their manufacturer to report on the scale of the disruption. The integrated HD traffic system of the latest range of TomTom GOs, measures the speed of traffic by using live signals from mobile phones. Using this information, TomTom reported 1,086 miles of traffic at 8:30am in Britain from 388 traffic jams. None of these compared to the M25 jam, however, which held a 32-mile long queue between junction 19 at Watford and junction 8 at Reigate, at 7:30am.
All of this data from TomTom has been supported by other mapping services, including Google Maps, but it was the only one offering real-time updates to its users.
By offering alternative routes to travellers, TomTom’s system also aims to help dissipate traffic jams more quickly by spreading out the journeys.
Tue, Feb 3, 2009
TomTom Traffic