Telematic services for interactive traffic information: the Spanish case

The growth of telematic services offers new opportunities to spread traffic information to drivers. Traffic Management Centres receive, analyze and communicate traffic information with the aim of reducing accidents, optimizing journey time and providing assistance on the road. The Direccion General de Trafico (DGT), Spanish Government Traffic Agency, has started a videotex traffic server, and is developing an Internet World Wide Web server. Furthermore, DGT is going to start an ISDN video transmission between Management Centres, which could be used in the future to transmit CCTV cameras images to the media. The paper focuses on the kinds of available traffic information, the most frequently asked for information through videotex, what kind of information could be suitable to deliver depending on the receiver, and the kind of telematic service.