INRIX Announces World’s First ‘Third Generation’ Routing Engine

Sophisticated, time-intelligent routing service combines real-time, historical and predictive traffic data to deliver dramatically improved routes to end-users

KIRKLAND, Wash. – May 20, 2008 – INRIX®, the leading provider of traffic information, today announced the availability of the world’s first ‘third generation’ routing engine. INRIX’s new routing solution goes beyond current state-of-the-market “traffic avoidance” routing algorithms to combine real-time, predictive and historical traffic information providing consumers with accurate fastest-route calculations and origin-destination recommendations. Everyone knows that traffic changes over time. But until now, traffic routing engines were unable to take this simple fact into account. By delivering the world’s first “third-generation” routing engine, INRIX offers a sophisticated time-intelligent, traffic-influenced routing solution. This solution is available as part of INRIX Connected Services, announced separately today.

As navigation devices evolve to provide ever-greater levels of customer value, INRIX is delivering the ability to provide the richest user experience for turn-by-turn routing. Leveraging the temporal nature of traffic information on all road segments along potential routes – including highways, inter-urban roads and arterials, INRIX routing algorithms can intelligently evaluate multiple routes and apply the most relevant fusion of traffic information available, in time across each segment of roadway along the entire route. For example, traveling from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe presents several complex routing options that span three to four hours of travel. With INRIX third generation routing, consumers will be routed based on time-of-day traffic conditions along the route when the consumer is anticipated to encounter it, not when the route is first initiated INRIX looks into the future to determine how traffic is expected to change along the course of travel – a true breakthrough in providing better routes and travel times to consumers.

“INRIX's deployment of third generation routing engine technology and the company’s overall connected services strategy heighten the daily relevance of in-car navigation services,” commented Phil Magney, principal analyst, Telematics Research Group.

The first generation of routing engines on the market were limited to “traffic avoidance” based solely on incident data (i.e. reported accidents, construction, etc.). If an accident was reported, these engines could calculate an alternative route, but there was no guarantee that the new route would be any faster, and indeed, could actually be worse. Second generation solutions improved on this to take real-time traffic flow conditions on major highways into account at the time a consumer initiated travel. The problem with these solutions over the course of a 30 minute or 3 hour commute is that conditions could have changed, but the routing options would not.

With INRIX’s third generation routing engine, consumers will be able to truly make choices based on what is happening on the roads when they’ll actually be driving on them, enabling the consumer to always have an accurate estimate of travel time and the fastest, most direct route possible. The concept of true traffic and time influenced routing has never been achieved before now. Furthermore, INRIX leverages the new INRIX Total Fusion traffic data separately announced today to provide accurate real-time and predictive traffic information on more than 800,000 miles of road, which includes almost every major road in the United States, making this breakthrough service available to consumers across the nation.

Navigation and auto OEMs have been eagerly waiting for such a technological breakthrough. As prices for navigation devices come down, demand for relevant, useful features such as true traffic-influenced routing, will only stand to boost popularity and sales across all channels.

About INRIX Connected Services

INRIX Connected Services platform offers an unparalleled suite of content services providing navigation OEMs and location-based service application developers with private label, go-to-market solutions for in-vehicle, personal navigation device (PND), wireless phone and other connected devices. The INRIX Connected Services platform encompasses the world’s first ‘third generation’ routing engine, dynamic traffic data covering 800,000 miles of roadways, additional location-relevant content, and a developer zone designed to greatly simplify creation of location-based service applications.

About INRIX

INRIX® is a leading provider of highly accurate traffic services, with more than 90 customers and industry partners including the Ford Motor Company, TomTom, MapQuest, Microsoft, NAVIGON AG, TeleNav, I-95 Corridor Coalition, Tele Atlas, deCarta, ITIS Holdings, TCS, Telmap, ANWB and ADAC. INRIX’s strategic partnership with Clear Channel Radio and Total Traffic Network extends the delivery of the highest quality data and broadest coverage available for personal navigation, mapping, telematics and other location-based service applications in the car, online and on mobile devices.

INRIX Traffic Services leverage sophisticated statistical analysis techniques, originally developed by Microsoft Research, to aggregate and enhance traffic-related information from hundreds of public and private sources, including traditional road sensors and the company’s unique network of over 1.5 million GPS-enabled vehicles and mobile devices including 8 of the top 10 iPhone navigation apps. INRIX delivers real-time and historical traffic information today for 16 countries across North America and Europe. To experience the traffic technology revolution behind the next generation of navigation and location-based service applications, visit www.INRIX.com or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/INRIX.