MENLO PARK, Calif., April 26, 2000 – Etak Inc., a worldwide publisher of digital map databases, location-based technology and traveler information services, today announced it has achieved coast-to-coast, nationwide coverage with its industry-leading real-time traffic information service as promised, on schedule.
Etak’s real-time traffic service, provided in cooperation with Metro Networks, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Westwood One, now covers 92 percent of the nation’s urban population in 65 metropolitan areas including the recently added cities of Spokane, WA; Omaha, NE; Oklahoma City, OK; Norfolk, VA; Richmond, VA; and Charlotte, NC.
Even though Etak has achieved its planned coverage of the United States, the company will continue to expand its service as necessary to fulfill the requirements of its customers, according to Terry Smail, Etak’s senior vice president.
The traffic reporting service, available in WAP and other standard formats, enables subscribers to receive regional or route-specific traffic information reports for their personal routes through a variety of wireless and wireline devices including pagers, PDAs, cell phones, in-car navigation devices, kiosks and wireless-capable laptop computers. The service is demonstrated on Etak’s traffic Web site at www.etak.com/traffic/trafficpresentation.html.
“The industry-leading breadth, depth and accuracy of Westwood One/Etak traffic data is leading virtually all wireless and Internet content providers to us for their traffic content solution,” said Smail. The Westwood One/Etak real-time traffic feed is available as either a text feed or graphically as icons positioned accurately on digital maps. Etak/Metro’s timely and detailed real-time traffic information is assigned specific latitude and longitude coordinates which allow incidents to be precisely displayed on digital maps. In addition, Etak’s extensive location codes enable association of incidents and traffic delays with specific routes for pre-trip route selection and real-time route adjustments. Traffic report details include a description of the problem, degree of impact on traffic, the location where traffic will be affected including direction of traffic, estimated duration, and traffic speeds where available. These reports empower travelers to make more intelligent, informed route decisions. Using a Web site, subscribers can customize the service by indicating the roads they travel and times of day enroute. Individuals can then be notified of or request information about traffic problems on their personal routes.
How It Works
Metro Networks, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Westwood One, is the largest and most trusted provider of traffic information in the world. They offer extensive source capture capabilities including 1,500 professional reporters and operations studios nationwide; video surveillance systems; on-scene mobile units; a large fleet of surveillance aircraft; local, close contacts with state and federal government agencies; and their own local and national news services and news service partners. The Metro Networks raw traffic data is entered into an Etak Traffic Workstation, located in each Metro office, creating a comprehensive database of real-time traffic and traveler information. Messages are sent to Etak’s national traffic server, which distributes the data immediately and conveniently to the Internet, television, wireless handheld devices or automotive systems. In effect, Etak provides a single source for access to local real-time traffic information for more than 65 cities. Motorola, Saraide, Cue Paging, VoltDelta, Yahoo, MapQuest, Infospace, and 3Com are among the companies currently distributing Etak/Metro Traffic.
Etak Traffic
Etak is the premier publisher of location-based technology and digital maps for in-vehicle information systems, mobile traveler information systems, real-time traffic services, utility damage prevention and commercial business geographics markets. Etak maps and traffic cover the United States and mainland Great Britain. Headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., Etak is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. For more information on Etak’s products and services contact Etak Inc., 1605 Adams Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Phone: (800) 765-0555. E-mail: info@etak.com. Internet: etak.com. Westwood One provides over 150 news, sports, music, talk, entertainment programs, features, live events and 24-hour formats. Through its subsidiaries, Metro Networks/Shadow Broadcast Services, Westwood One provides local content to the radio and TV industries including news, sports, weather, traffic, video news services and other information. Westwood One serves more than 7,500 radio stations. Westwood One is managed by Infinity Broadcasting Corporation.
Headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., Etak is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. For more information on Etak’s products and services contact Etak Inc., 1605 Adams Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Phone: (800) 765-0555. E-mail: info@etak.com. Internet: etak.com. |
