As the popularity of vehicle navigation systems rises, incorporating Real Time Traffic Information (RTTI) has been shown to enhance the systems' value by helping drivers avoid traffic delays. As an innovative premium automaker, BMW has developed a testing process to acquire and analyze RTTI data in order to ensure delivery of a high quality service and to enhance the customer experience compared to audible broadcast services. With a methodology to obtain valid and repeatable RTTI data quality measurements, BMW and its service partner, Clear Channel's Total Traffic Network (TTN), can improve its offered service over time, implement corrective measures when appropriate, and confidently ensure the service meets its premium objectives.
BMW has partnered with TTN and SoftSolutions GmbH to implement a traffic data quality process and software tools. The result is the Floating Car Data Quality (QFCD) process, with data acquired and analyzed with a special plug-in for the trace visualization platform called TraceRunner offered by SoftSolutions. TTN and BMW use the QFCD process to compare actual, measured driving conditions against broadcast traffic events acquired on all covered roads within a market over diverse time periods. The software outputs are quality level indices for events encountered and reported (QKZ1), and reported but not encountered events (QKZ2).
This paper summarizes the testing process and results for 42 major metropolitan markets in the United States, which were used to establish a quality baseline for the BMW RTTI service introduced in September 2006 for its 2007 and later models. Ongoing testing and audits are underway to ensure continuous improvement and quality control, as well as validate the introduction of new markets. BMW intends to make the process available to interested parties so that traffic data and service delivery methods can be analyzed and compared objectively.