LAS VEGAS – Elektrobit (EB), a leading developer of cutting-edge embedded technology solutions for the automotive industry, is developing next-generation navigation systems with a variety of new driver-assistance features.
EB street director technology linking map data and “smart traffic” information from INRIX will be demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES, Jan. 10-13) and Pepcom (Jan. 9) in Las Vegas. INRIX is the world’s leading provider of traffic and driver-service information.
With real-time data from INRIX, features made possible through EB street director include innovative 3-D map displays, speed alerts and speed-limit assistance; roadway curve, hill and intersection warnings; fuel-saving engine controls; real-time crash warnings, collision avoidance and traffic-jam information.
EB-developed navigation software will allow automakers to introduce new features more quickly, for less cost and across multiple car lines, countries and regions.
“Today, advanced traffic technologies and smart navigation data are standard requirements in a connected world that ranges from entry-level and mobile to high-end solutions,” said Alexander Kocher, EB’s president of automotive software.
“EB street director allows automakers to accelerate development processes for shorter development phases and quicker production starts. With EB, automakers and suppliers are not just buying a product, but a knowledgeable, global engineering team to integrate it.”
Kocher noted that consumer benefits made possible by EB and INRIX navigation technology include route optimization that considers traffic flow, weather conditions, construction projects and crashes, as well as information about fuel prices and station locations, including charging stations for electric vehicles and propane and diesel-fuel availability.
Other major technical benefits resulting from connected navigation-and-traffic solutions are dynamic location referencing, intelligent processing of traffic and POI (point-of-interest) server information and pre-filtering based on current position, destination and route.
“We’re excited about our collaboration with Elektrobit to deliver solutions to automakers that meet their customers’ needs for simpler, safer access to traffic information, navigation and other connected driver services on the road,” said Bill Schwebel, senior vice president of marketing and product management, INRIX.
“Elektrobit’s street director technology combined with INRIX’s traffic intelligence platform and connected driver services helps automakers quickly bring to market experiences that make navigation indispensible to drivers every day”, Schwebel said.
Since 2006, EB has sold more than 4.2 million licenses for street director. EB street director supports multiple providers of map-data content to cover world navigation. A new Dynamic POI interface feature allows consumers to add, change, or remove POIs while navigation is running and introduce new POI types and icons at runtime. In addition, multiple services can connect to EB street director dynamic POI interface in parallel.
EB is a global supplier of driver-assistance and infotainment systems working in partnership with automakers, Tier One suppliers and technology companies. It is cooperating with a community of leading partners to build the next generation of smart, flexible and cost-efficient automotive software solutions.
“Elektrobit and INRIX are working together to redefine the connected navigation experience,” said Roger C. Lanctot, associate director of the global automotive practice for Strategy Analytics. “EB is combining its street director and multiple-map architecture to enable an experience consumers don’t even realize they want until they see it. The system is intended to anticipate driver needs even as it anticipates future navigation advances.”
INRIX’s traffic intelligence platform is fueled by the world’s largest community of drivers. Through sophisticated analysis of real-time data from 50 million vehicles and hundreds of public and private sources, INRIX knows the best routes and keeps drivers moving with real-time updates on changes to conditions along the way. INRIX Traffic Forecasts leverages unique analysis of real-time, historical data with information about traffic-impacting local events like holidays, weather, concerts and sporting events to deliver insight into what drivers can expect on the roads hours, days and months in advance.
For more information about how Elektrobit is changing the way consumers interact with their vehicles through smart HMI, navigation and driver assistance, visit www.elektrobit.com/automotive.
