FM-station based RDS/TMC broadcasts of digital traffic information offers one of the earliest opportunities for launching an ATT/IVHS service, thanks to readily available technology at reasonable costs. Volvo and the Swedish National Road Administration (SNRA) have jointly brought RDS/TMC from early research projects through to the level of a nationwide public service. This short paper presents the technology. This includes short descriptions of the CRUSADER operating system support, and the DYNAGUIDE driver information display. Methods used to collect traffic data and to transmit the RDS/TMC traffic messages are also presented. Some 70 vehicles have been equipped with first generation DYNAGUIDE since mid 1992. Most vehicles were used professionally (taxis, lorries, etc.) and were driving more or less continually within the Greater Gothenburg area. Results from this test indicated that users gave greatest importance to: a) user friendliness; and b) quality of the information.
Abstract