TomTom Selected by University of Minnesota’s Accessibility Observatory

July 31, 2015  - By
Image: GPS World
Image: GPS World

TomTom’s map and traffic information have been chosen by the University of Minnesota’s Accessibility Observatory as part of a new national accessibility data set.

TomTom will provide map and historical speed data to help analyze accessibility to jobs for driving and transit for metropolitan areas across the United States. For transit data, the Observatory is relying on open, public sources using a method developed at the University with support from the Center for Transportation Studies.

Study partners will be able to use this data for policy development, local transportation system evaluation, performance management, planning and research efforts. Each partner will have direct digital access to the accessibility datasets for the jurisdictions of all partners and will receive detailed reports of local accessibility trends and patterns. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is the lead agency and coordinator for the national pooled-fund study. Other participating agencies are the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the DOTs of California, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin.

“Today’s transportation user wants more than mobility — they want accessibility and they want MnDOT to invest in the appropriate solution, at the right place, at the right time, and at the appropriate cost,” said Tim Henkel, division director of modal planning and program management at MnDOT. “The Accessibility Observatory offers solutions to these decision-making challenges.”

The Transportation Pooled Fund Program, part of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, allows state DOTs, FHWA program offices, and other organizations to combine resources and achieve common research goals. Additional partners are welcome to join the study.

“We’re excited that the UMN Accessibility Observatory has selected TomTom to help provide geospatial and transportation information for this project,” said Ralf-Peter Schäfer, head of traffic at TomTom. “We are confident that the TomTom map and traffic content will contribute to a better understanding of job accessibility nationwide.”