Abu Dhabi: A new car navigation system was launched in the capital on Tuesday to provide real-time updates about traffic, parking spots, routes and road conditions to motorists in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The system, which has been developed by Abu Dhabi’s transport sector regulator, the Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport (DMAT), will be made available to car dealers to be installed in vehicles sold in Abu Dhabi.
“Currently, most motorists use phone-based navigation systems to get from one place to another, but these often divert attention from the road. Our navigation system will be accessed through GPS devices installed in cars, and will not distract drivers. It will also provide updated and verified information to help make driving and parking easier,” said Salah Al Marzouqi, director for integrated intelligent transportation systems at the DMAT.
In the first year itself, the DMAT hopes to have 50,000 vehicles that install and use its navigation system, the official added.
In 2014, the DMAT launched a smartphone-based navigation application, called Darb, which provides real-time traffic and road information to motorists and road users. The system launched on Tuesday included the information posted through Darb, along with other data from traffic officials and transport entities in Abu Dhabi.
While a significant proportion of cars in Abu Dhabi do have satellite navigation systems, not many are connected to the internet as yet, and therefore cannot access live updates on traffic and weather.
“We expect at least 10 to 20 per cent of all new cars sold in the emirate in the coming years to be ‘connected’, and the DMAT’s Transport Information and Navigation System will be able to provide information to these vehicles,” Al Marzouqi said.
The DMAT has already partnered with Toyoto Tsusho Asia Pacific, car manufacturer Toyota’s trading arm, and Inrix, a traffic data information service firm that works with car manufacturers like Audi, BMW and Daimler.
“By 2017, we hope that 15 per cent of new Toyota cars will have connected navigation systems. In fact, many of our luxury vehicles already have the capacity to be connected, and a survey we conducted recently show that 70 per cent of motorists want real-time navigation information,” said Manish Malhotra, regional head for Middle East and Africa at Toyota Tsusho Asia Pacific.
Al Marzouqi added that the greater use of connected navigation systems is expected to reduce traffic congestion, thus providing benefits like cost savings and less time on the road for drivers.
