The Suna Traffic Channel developed by Intelematics Australia, a subsidiary of the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), will broadcast detailed information on traffic congestion and other road conditions directly to GPS navigation systems, in real-time.
According to Adam Game, the CEO of Intelematics Australia, users can expect to pay an additional $300 on top of their navigation system purchase price for lifelong access to the service.
Intelematics has made SUNA available to Australia's navigation and automotive industries this week with several navigation system suppliers including Garmin and Mio currently reviewing the solution.
According to Adam Game, Melbourne was selected for the first service release, owing to the assistance of VicRoads and Melbourne's position as the hub for Australia's automotive industry.
SUNA will initially provide real-time traffic coverage across more than 75 percent of Australia's urban population and this will increase when the service is launched in Adelaide and Perth, later in 2008.
Although there is no panacea for rush-hour congestion, many of the worst delays motorists experience can be attributed to road works and unpredictable causes including accidents and signal failures. With SUNA, motorists are informed in real-time to avoid such delays.
"With the new SUNA Traffic Channel, drivers can now understand, anticipate and respond to changes in the traffic flow and road conditions surrounding them in real-time," said Adam Game, Chief Executive of Intelematics Australia. "SUNA Traffic Channel is Australia's first digital traffic information broadcast and will operate 24 hours per day, all year round."
