German transportation software developer Gewi has added new templates to the Analytics feature in its TIC (Traveler Information Center), which is one of the most widely-used off-the-shelf software platforms for managing roadway information.
Since it was released in 2016, Gewi has continued to improve the TIC Analytics feature that can be used to analyze a number of statistics, calculated using operational data within the TIC system. Customers can gain insight into traffic patterns and recurrent issues on the roadways, and better manage operational performance of both people and systems.
One example would be displaying on a map the number of traffic and travel events per roadway or segment, and another example would be the number of wrong-way drivers per road segment. This data can now be analyzed to provide reports based on configurable parameters, such as time of day, day of week, and more.
Most data available in a TIC system is available for use in TIC Analytics. Statistics can be computed and viewed using the TIC Smart Client. Customers can also distribute the computed statistics, and even the actual operational data, to a third-party tool for further analysis and viewing. Data can be automatically distributed on a schedule to create daily, weekly or monthly reports, or distributed manually at any time. Gewi has created a number of templates for different object types to generate statistics, such as traffic events by day, road number, severity, and event code type.
Analytics may also be calculated in order to measure operational performance, such as the number of incidents created by a team or by a single operator. Customers using TIC for Traffic News can analyze editor processing time for news reports, on air processing times, and the number of changed news stories.
Both of these options are highly useful when determining operator schedules for normal days versus expected high-traffic days, such as prior to a holiday weekend. If not available already within the platform, additional templates can be defined and easily created to report on most data available in the TIC system.
Gewi has also recently added a dynamic ‘Alternative Navigation Route’ feature to its TIC software that automatically displays routes that will be suggested to a driver using a navigation device. The new feature provides operators at Traffic Management Centers (TMCs) with a powerful tool when planning work zones, or preparing to respond to an incident.
Because TIC software uses the same maps that appear in vehicles and navigation applications, the operator will be presented with the same options that will be suggested to the driver. By reviewing these suggested alternate routes, the agency can identify if there may already be an event, such as a construction project, on one of the alternate routes and modify the plan or route accordingly.
With just one click, the agency can select the preferred alternate route, or the operator can edit the alternate route, which can then be distributed to navigation devices. By knowing in advance the routes that drivers will be given by their devices, agencies can take any appropriate additional steps required, such as using variable message signage (VMS) to ensure that drivers avoid problem areas and follow the selected preferred route.
