TomTom and Cisco are to work together on new technology to provide a traffic service capable of supporting autonomous driving, and smart mobility.
Cisco will provide roadside data from its sensors, routers and controllers to collate and build next generation traffic information technology.
TomTom will utilise its fusion technology and its background in traffic, navigation and mapping. The project will be supported by Cisco’s Internet of Things (IoT) platform.
An example of the innovative projects being undertaken by Cisco and TomTom is the Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) technology. This involves the conversion of a fibre optic cable into virtual microphones to detect vehicle movements, vital information in creating a new traffic service.
The data that is collected by this technology can then be combined with the massive amount of vehicle data available to TomTom via over 500 million devices.
Edwin Paalvast, President EMEAR at Cisco said: “With this project, we are connecting road infrastructure, vehicles, drivers and road authorities, enabling them to exchange information in near real time. That is what the Internet of Things is about. With TomTom’s expertise, its gigantic pool of traffic data and innovative traffic technology, TomTom is a strong company to work with in this field.”
READ MORE: IBM to apply Watson IoT to BMW CarData
With momentum growing constantly in the self-driving space, it is essential that not only the autonomous vehicles themselves are developed and brought into reality, but also the way traffic will be managed in the future.
Anders Truelsen, Managing Director of TomTom’s Licensing Business said: “We strongly believe that Internet of Things and cloud technologies are essential parts to the future of mobility and we are excited to work with Cisco in moving traffic technology forward.”
IoT continues to raise concerns for many in terms of security weaknesses, and there could be debates regarding its suitability at the very core of a system governing traffic, and subsequently human lives.
