TMC

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TMC VRT

• Stijn Lehaen
• Projectingenieur VRT Radio

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VRT

• Public broadcaster for the Flemish Community
• Radio
• 5 FM stations
• 1 MW station
• 1 SW worldservice
• 1 DAB only station
• TV
• 3 TV-networks

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VRT Radio Traffic information

• Traffic information desk since 1979
• Gathering aggregation of information 7/7,
  5.30am-12pm using different sources
• Vlaams Verkeerscentrum (VVC)
• Police
• Road services from local authorities
• Correspondents
• Touring Mobilis (call center for drivers)

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VRT Traffic information

• Continuously updated traffic reports each half
  our(except Klara, cultural station)
• Breaking traffic news (ghostdrivers etc)
• Program items on traffic subjects
• Disadvantages
• I have to listen continuously in order to catch
  traffic information
• There is no selectivity towards the user

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Enhancing Traffic information using RDS

• Radio Data System (RDS)
• Has been around since the late 80s
• Structured datastream of 673 bit/sec divided in
  11,4 groups added to an FM transmitted
  radiosignal
• Used for metadata on the transmitted program

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Enhancing Traffic information using RDS

• Used for metadata of associated stations
  Enhanced Other Networks (EON)
• Used for not program associated data Open data
  applications (ODA)
• D-GPS,
• TMC
• Hierarchical usage of the available bandwidth
• Group 8A is reserved for TMC-messages

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Enhancing Traffic information using RDS

• Using RDS to indicate
• TP (Traffic Program)
• If traffic reports can be expected on this
  specific channel
• TA (Traffic Anouncement)
• If a traffic report is being transmitted on this
  specific channel at this moment

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Enhancing Traffic information using RDS

• Advantages
• A receiver can automatically find Traffic
  information carrying stations
• A receiver can automatically change listening
  conditions when a traffic report is on air
• Still
• A receiver has to be kept tuned to a traffic
  information carrying station

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Enhancing Traffic information using RDS

• Using EON (enhanced other networks)
  functionality
• In order to provide information about traffic
  reports on associated stations by indicating when
  an associated station is broadcasting a traffic
  report
• Still
• The usage is limited to audio consumption without
  any intelligent, automated processing
• Low overall relevance rate

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Structuring Traffic information using RDS-TMC

• Structuring information in order to
• Enable enhanced, intelligent usage
• Enable personalisation
• Important constraints
• Low available bandwidth
• European context

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Structuring Traffic information using RDS-TMC

• Describing a traffic information event by
• Location ( parameters)
• Event ( parameters)
• Duration diversion
• Coding at broadcaster-side needed
• Local locationcodes
• Universal eventcodes

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Structuring Traffic information using RDS-TMC

• Intelligent receiver needed
• Exchangable medium with code information
• Filtering according to individual settings
• Advanced usage in navigation
• Advanced human interface
• Displaying dynamic text is not allowed by RDS
  guidelines
• Text To Speech
• Updated navigation

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TMC_at_VRT

• 1998 development of TMC-infrastructure
• Content editor for generating structured traffic
  information
• Adapting RDS management software and RDS
  encoding infrastructure
• April 1999 real life demonstration of TMC at the
  Flanders Technology fair in Ghent, De facto
  start of signaling the TMC-flag and test
  transmissions in Flanders

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TMC_at_VRT

• November 1999 Agreement VRT Ministery of the
  Flemish Community signed to co-oporate on TMC
• Flemish Community gathering of traffic
  information, generation of TMC-messages
• VRT Transmitting these TMC-messages on the
  frequencies of Radio 2
• VRT is match-maker between VVC and the public no
  editorial input by the traffic information desk

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TMC_at_VRT interfacing with VVC

• Data interface with VVC
• Exchanging text messages
• Using FTP over the WAN of the Flemish Authority

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TMC_at_VRT interfacing with VVC

• VVC sends periodically textfile with information
  on all active TMC-messages
• Message ID
• Versionnumber
• Timestamp
• Single/multigroup
• TMC-descriptors
• Location code ( direction, extent)
• Event code (additional parameters)
• Duration diversion
• Priority

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TMC_at_VRT interfacing with VVC

• VRT sends textfile with status information on all
  active TMC-messages
• Messagestatus what is the status in VRTs
  broadcastsystem (not yet used)
• Broadcastcount number of transmissions

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TMC_at_VRT interfacing with the receiver

• Central RDS management system
• Interfacing with the production environment for
  program associated data (TA, PTY,)
• Interfacing with external sources for non program
  associated data (D-GPS, TMC)
• TMC managing the available capacity in groups of
  type 8A based on message priority
• Distributed RDS encoders
• Communication using the Universal Encoder
  Communication Protocol (UECP) over private
  digital RF distribution network

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TMC_at_VRT in practice
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To conclude

• VRT is ready to start an operational RDS-TMC
  service
• Technical preparations are made
• VRT Radio is already today a strong brand on
  Traffic Information
• Fits in our strategy of delivering content with
  high value to mobile listeners in an innovative
  way

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