Paragon’s average road speed data improves routing and scheduling precision

Paragon Software Systems has announced a major technology advancement using traffic speed data captured from satellite tracking systems to predict travel times.

Paragon’s routing and scheduling software now includes an option for reliable average speed data following an agreement with ITIS, the leading supplier of traffic and travel information. The intelligent data is collected from over 200,000 vehicles travelling around the UK. Over 2 billion GPS positions are recorded every year to provide the speed data from actual moving vehicles.

Journey calculations are a fundamental part of routing and scheduling optimisation. Paragon’s GB map system can now include pre-set speeds on individual road links. Because these have been derived by analysing huge numbers of road speed observations, users will gain the benefit of more reliable and consistent journey estimates.

The speed data provides a much truer reflection of the real travel times. Previously it was only possible to apply average speeds based on a road classification, such as urban motorway or rural B-road, along with regional adjustments.

The Paragon enhancement incorporates road data including a calculated average speed, for each direction, at road link level. This is based on a history of observations of vehicles travelling on that road link. It means route plans will be more realistic and hence both more accurate for transport managers and more acceptable to drivers. This improvement will be useful both for companies using Paragon’s routing and scheduling software to plan their daily delivery operations and the many third party logistics companies using it to quote for new business.

“This development is an important advancement in routing and scheduling optimisation. By analysing ITIS speed data traffic, calculations are more precise and travel time planning immediately becomes more accurate. Crucially by using objective speed data, the schedules will be more acceptable to drivers and more accurate for customers, and less time will be needed to ‘calibrate’ the Paragon system thus reducing implementation timescales,” says William Salter, Managing Director of Paragon Software Systems.