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European Space Agency

Press Release

Traffic jam hotspots pinpointed in advance
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11 December 2002

Road Traffic Monitoring by Satellite (RTMS) is an innovative trial
system that uses a fleet of 'tracer' vehicles to detect congestion.

Using GPS position, an in-car computer and the ESA developed PRODAT
mobile communication system, traffic data is reported via satellite to 
a central facility. Compared to conventional detection methods, a
satellite-based in-car system offers better coverage and better data
at potentially competitive costs. 

Congestion of public road networks is an increasing problem in many
countries. As any traffic management strategy is only as good as the
information it relies on, authorities need traffic data that is
accurate, reliable, timely and comprehensive. Road users also need
good quality traffic information in order to plan and adjust their
routes. 

The RTMS field trial, undertaken by ARS Traffic and Transport
Technology (NL) and TU Dresden (D) with support from ESA Telecom's
User Segment Programme line, started in March 1999 and was
successfully completed in November 2002. 

The trial took place in the busy Rotterdam and Den Haag districts of
the Netherlands, and consisted of a pilot system installed in a fleet
of 15 postal service and delivery vehicles. No interaction was
necessary between the driver and the system during the trial. 

The large amount of usable data gathered from the vehicles
demonstrated that the coverage of the satellite system is viable for
collecting valuable real-time traffic data, even in densely urbanised
areas. 

Floating car data, the concept behind RTMS, works by using a
relatively small percentage of the vehicle population to produce
real-time traffic information, just by driving around. This allows for 
the collection of traffic data over the whole road network - not just 
bottlenecks - including towns, cities, rural roads and motorways not 
covered by GSM, GPRS or UMTS systems.

The floating car data principle also gives information of better
quality: 'tracer' vehicles are able to produce travel times over a
series of road segments, while traditional systems measure the traffic 
only at one point. 

A satellite-based in-car system can provide many services in addition
to traffic monitoring, such as fleet management, logistics support,
emergency and breakdown service and theft protection. If integrated
with other systems, it can provide real time route guidance and
navigation information and location dependent services (such as
locating the nearest bank at a given point during a journey). 

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