TPEG Traffic and Travel Information

TPEG stands for the format standardised by the Transport Protocol Experts Group and is a new mode of delivering traffic information via digital broadcast formats such as DAB, DMB, DVB or the Internet. Data are coded prior to transmission and can be converted in a number of ways by the receiver. Motorists can either let a synthetic voice read information aloud or view information as text or in graphic form on a car’s navigational system.

Advantages of TPEG

Traffic information is currently broadcast via Traffic Message Channel (TMC). The cornerstones for this technical feature were laid back in the mid-1980’s. Though TMC has proved to be very successful, this standard allows little room for upgrades. Key advantages of TPEG, on the other hand, include the following:

All traffic points can be precisely located on a digital map

Supplementary services for weather reports and large events can be broadcast

Several services can be bundled

Availability of information about parking as well as local and regional public transport and traffic conditions can be described in a very detailed manner

Standardisation and Implementation

IRT and its partners abroad cooperate to generate solutions which satisfy the needs of the broadcasting sector. Research for the TPEG standard is coordinated by TISA (Traveller Information Services Association), a federation of organisations in Asia and Europe which is working on a number of applications for automotive traffic, travel times, parking, and public transport.

One of IRT’s tasks is incorporating the editorial requirements of broadcasters and other providers into TPEG applications. And thanks to its very own TPEG software tools, IRT can reproduce – in compliance with standards – the entire transmission chain of encoder, inserter, and decoder.

Further information on IRT product TPEG En-/Decoder Software

TISA-forum (Traveller Information Services Association)