Overview
Several projects have been elaborated in the field of quality of traffic information:
- CORVETTE, RDS-TMC in the Alpine region, EU research project as part of TEN-T
- ENTERPRICE, EU research project in the 4th Framework Programme for Traffic Information / Traffic Management
- TRANS3, EU research project in the 5th Framework Programme for intermodal traffic information and route planner
- VSS research contract 15/88: The data integrity in road databases with regard to the exchange of data
- NAVIS National Traffic Information System, preliminary analysis and approach to building a traffic information system for the collection, processing and dissemination of traffic information
- Field Trial RDS-TMC (Radio Data System Traffic Message Channel)
- NRP 41, module E3, Banques de données et routières mobilité: Apport the BDR aux instruments de la gestion de la mobilité
- VSS research contract 01/98: Swiss platform for traffic information: inventory
- SVI research contract 47/98: uses of Floating Car Data in transport planning
- The Networked Vehicle - transport telematics in road and rail, technology assessment on behalf of the Swiss Science and Technology Council
There was a need of a basis for a Swiss standard "Quality Requirements for Traffic and Travel Information"
In the "Qualitraffic" project the basis for a Swiss standard "Quality Requirements for Traffic and Travel Information" is elaborated.
The idea of the quality determination is to compare the generated traffic and travel information (TTI) with the real-life situation, where information are recorded independently and reliably, with respect to topicality, correctness and completeness.
A continuous quality monitoring will be established independently on the technical form of the information, attaining the comparability of information from different sources and processed in different ways, and imposing requirements with respect to the quality of the information content, for the development and operation of TTI systems.
The project will be developed in the following work-packages:
- Analysis of the current situation and definition of requirements based on interviews with key stakeholders
- Development of criteria and structure of quality criteria - In the second work package the quality criteria are defined, on the basis that will be used for subsequent monitoring or measurement of the quality of traffic information.
- Description of the conditions of use - The third work package is concerned with the definition of terms related to the traffic information, which must be complied with in the various applications.
- Creation of draft standard and the Research Report.
The project consists of the following steps:
- Elaboration of methods for the assessment of traffic and travel information (TTI) according to quality criteria, to be able to compare TTI from different sources and with different ways of processing.
- Collection of quality criteria according to different TTI contents and different quality aspects, to be applied in the assessment.
- Definition of quality classes in such a way that a sample of TTI from one provider may be assigned to a specific quality class.
- Elaboration of requirements on recordings for the quality assessment, in order to implement a continuous quality monitoring, being compatible with the ISO 9001 standard.
Funding
Results
The main outputs of the project are:
- Measurement of the quality of traffic and travel information
- Implementation of a continuous quality monitoring as part of a quality management
- Ensuring comparability of different providers of traffic information with respect to content, quality of information
- Creation of quality certificates
- Setting a minimum quality levels in tendering systems for traffic information or of services, which are based on traffic information
- Creation of a reference for quality requirements in regulations (eg. for the basis of a traffic management) or contractual arrangements
- Creating the conditions for continuous improvement of the quality of traffic information in Switzerland.
The investigation leads to the result that a standard for the determination of traffic information quality is feasible. The investigation lays the essential foundations for this. The advantage of the approach chosen is that it is possible to calculate a quality value in a variety of situations according to clear formula, thus avoiding complex comparisons of quality criteria.
The premise, that the quality of traffic information may only be determined based on independent and direct observation of incidents on the spot, implies a substantial effort required for these observations. The effort is increased, if higher accuracy of the quality value is envisaged. As a consequence, the quality determination will always be in the field of conflict between the demand on reproducibility and validity on one side, and on practicability on the other side.
The lack of a firm statistical fundament for the derivation of the weighting factors turned out to be one of the major obstacles to establish the standard. As a first step it is possible to rely on rough estimations. As compared to the today's situation without any foundation for quality determination at all this is already a major step forward. But to envisage a step-by-step improvement of the estimations is essential.