GPS TV

TRL's familiarity with Trafficmaster Plc Global Positioning System (GPS) data allowed the development of a new tool: GPS Traffic Viewer. This uses speed and position information from the GPS data to create a ‘congestion map' identifying congestion hotspots which can then be targeted with specific interventions, allowing more efficient use of resources. This tool has already been successfully used by TRL in conjunction with two major contractors to target ramp-metering schemes in the UK.

Both GPS TV and the Highways Agency Traffic Information System (HATRIS) data-fusion task serve as examples of one of TRL's core capabilities: the ability to add value to raw data. This can be by developing accessible visualisation tools that display the data in a way that meets the user's requirements, by creating innovative tools that can sort complex data sets into simple decision guidance or by designing sophisticated mathematical systems to combine diverse data sources. The ever-growing amount of automated data-gathering technology on the road networks in the UK and abroad means that the ability to distil this data and turn it into intelligence directly relevant to the user is of increasing importance. This is an area in which TRL has well-established expertise.