NEW Enhancements in HERE Traffic Analytics Speed Data
News|by Gabrielle Alvear|7 March 2024
The road to efficient traffic management begins with data-driven decisions
HERE Technologies' Traffic Analytics Speed Data is a powerful tool that provides extensive insights into historical traffic patterns. Derived from a vast database of GPS readings, it offers detailed information on road speeds, enabling informed decisions by governments and transportation agencies, and all kinds of businesses.
If you haven't already implemented speed data into your routing or logistics applications, here are the key highlights from the latest release as well as some use cases to showcase the power of the data across verticals.
HERE Traffic Analytics Speed Data: Latest Releases
Harmonic Means (New HARMONIC_MEAN Column)
Harmonic means play a crucial role in calculating the average speed of traffic on a road segment. Unlike arithmetic means, which treat all speeds equally, harmonic means give more weight to low-speed vehicles during congestion.
- For example, consider a set of 17 probes: the arithmetic mean might be 40 mph, but the harmonic mean (which considers low-speed vehicles) could be 30 mph.
- These harmonic means are calculated at link levels and aggregated to Traffic Message Channel (TMC) segments and other time intervals.
- Valuable insights for congested scenarios offering more precise speed calculations
Probe Pathing
Probe pathing identifies the path travelled by a probe vehicle between two sequential observation points.
- The new method weighs probes based not only on counts but also on the length of their paths.
- This approach provides a more accurate representation of actual probes on road segments.
Probe Counts (New PROBE_COUNT Column)
- A more precise probe count, accurately aggregated on segments and various time intervals.
Expanded Probe Sources
- A significant increase in probe providers with vast amounts of high-quality data, resulting in improved coverage and overall data quality.
Vehicle Distance Travelled (VDT)
- VDT, a new metric, measures the total distance travelled by vehicles on a road segment over a given period.
- It offers valuable insights into traffic patterns, congestion levels, road utilization, and overall transportation efficiency within specific areas.
Increased Country Coverage
- Now includes the Philippines in this new release, expanding your global coverage.
The difference it makes in your applications
- Increased Accuracy: The enhancements improve accuracy, ensuring better decision-making.
- Higher Coverage: HERE Traffic Analytics covers global road networks.
- Better Insights: It empowers planners with data-driven insights for infrastructure management, traffic flow optimization, and route planning.
HERE Traffic Analytics Speed Data in Motion: Industry Use Cases
Urban Planning and Infrastructure Development
-
- Traffic Flow Optimization: Urban planners can analyse historical traffic data to identify congestion-prone areas. By understanding peak traffic hours and bottlenecks, they can design efficient road networks and prioritize infrastructure investments.
- Road Expansion and Maintenance: Speed data helps determine where road widening or maintenance is necessary. It guides decisions on adding lanes, improving intersections, or repairing deteriorating roads.
Environmental Impact Assessment
-
- Emission Reduction Strategies: By analysing speed data, environmental agencies can assess emissions from vehicles. This informs policies to reduce pollution and promote cleaner transportation options.
Transportation Management and Emergency Services
-
- Real-Time Traffic Updates: Emergency services, such as ambulances and fire departments, rely on accurate traffic information. Speed data enables real-time updates, allowing them to choose the fastest routes during emergencies.
- Traffic Incident Management: By monitoring speed changes, authorities can quickly respond to accidents, road closures, or other incidents. This minimizes disruptions and ensures smoother traffic flow.
Logistics and Supply Chain Optimization
-
- Delivery Route Planning: Logistics companies use speed data to optimize delivery routes. Efficient routes reduce fuel consumption, delivery time, and operational costs.
- Last-Mile Delivery: Speed data helps identify the best routes for last-mile delivery, ensuring timely and cost-effective service.
Retail and Business Location Decisions
-
- Site Selection: Retailers and businesses consider traffic patterns when choosing locations. Speed data reveals areas with high footfall, making it easier to select optimal sites.
- Advertising and Promotions: Businesses can strategically place billboards, advertisements, and promotions along busy routes based on traffic data.
Smart City Initiatives
-
- Intelligent Traffic Management: Speed data feeds into smart traffic lights, dynamic lane management, and adaptive traffic control systems. These technologies enhance traffic flow and reduce congestion.
- Predictive Analytics: Speed data combined with machine learning models predicts future traffic patterns. Cities can proactively address potential issues.
Research and Academia
-
- Traffic Behaviour Studies: Researchers study speed data to understand driver behaviour, adherence to speed limits, and the impact of road design on traffic flow.
- Transportation Modelling: Academics use speed data to validate transportation models and simulate scenarios for policy evaluation.
The latest release of Traffic Analytics Speed Data 1.8 offers many new enhancements and benefits to your applications at no additional cost. If you'd like more information, Grey Matter also offers a HERE to Help service where we can connect with the right technical expert at HERE Technologies to answer any queries you might have about your unique project needs.