We are all familiar with it. You’ve got the radio on and every half hour you hear a brief update of the traffic jams on the Motorways and A-roads, sometimes it’s read out by the DJ, and sometimes by someone from, say, AA Roadwatch. It’s useful information because not everyone uses satellite navigation so they are not automatically aware of a traffic jam ahead. Where does this information come from though?

Since 2018, we have been making sure that all this up-to-date traffic information is presented in a conveniently arranged manner for use by DPG Media. The tool is integrated into their own management system. Consequently, all information comes in automatically. The DJs can then easily share this information with their listeners.

Information on congestion is generated by several sources; for example:

  • data from loops in the roads which measure the speed of vehicles;
  • user data from smartphones, which, thanks to Google Maps or Waze, can share their data enabling the measurement of road traffic speeds (floating car data);
  • images from traffic agency cameras mounted along the roads.

The use of Waze data lets us report not only the location and length of traffic jams but also their context. In many cases, Waze users themselves also pass on traffic jam alerts and can include details such a whether there is a stationary vehicle involved. This allows us to deduce that the likely reason for the congestion is an accident.

The great thing about this is that Waze users not only help each other, they also help travelling radio listeners who are not using Waze decide on the quickest route to take. We also see opportunities here for other countries, given that the number of Waze users is continuing to grow everywhere, as is the relevance of the data they provide.

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We’d be pleased to show you what you can do by combining data sources.
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