The traffic information business grew up with helicopters in the sky and tipsters on the road calling into their local radio station. In some cities, it evolved with sensors under the road and along the highway to derive prevailing road speeds, enabling TV graphics and travel time estimates. But the underlying data was highly variable from market to market, and road coverage was far from complete. Not ideal for broadcast media, which often "owns" the traffic brand in their markets.
New technologies exploiting GPS tracking data, vehicle locations and their relationship with traditional traffic impact data like accidents and weather will provide media with a much more accurate picture of road conditions, from choke points to incidents to so-called normal congestion. Similar to how radar imaging enhanced the value of weather in local news reports, resolution of traffic information will increase, and the content will drive audience and advertiser interest.
Media will be able to leverage their existing brands to offer personalized content to listeners and viewers. Like business news, weather, and sports, traffic information can finally be personalized and delivered in a meaningful way to web and mobile platforms. Advertisers will follow this audience, and extend the reach of their broadcast spots to deliver more localized messaging.
Beyond its technology and data analytics, TrafficCast understands how media and content distribution drive value in traffic information. Traffic is "lean-in" programming for anyone on the road or about to be; and because the audience pays attention to the content, they pay attention to the sponsor. Interest in traffic information is one reason why ABI Research predicts that in less than five years, there will be nearly 200 million real-time, two-way connected devices supporting navigation and traffic information. That offers a potentially lucrative distribution channel for marketers, and media companies who can leverage their broadcast audience to narrowcast services.