Garmap announces live traffic updates on your GPS enabled cellphone

Traffic congestion on South Africa’s roads is a daily reality that motorists have to accept, at least in the short- to medium-term.

However, thanks to a partnership between Garmap, the exclusive map data provider to Garmin South Africa, and Altech Netstar, a leading vehicle tracking company, getting caught up in a queue of traffic could soon easily be avoided.

Garmap for Mobile, a mobile phone-based navigation software application – which is available in South Africa - will soon integrate live, real-time traffic conditions, alerting users to where slow-moving or stationary traffic could delay their trips.

Information collected from over 50,000 cars fitted with Altech Netstar GSM/GPS tracking devices is collected and streamed over a mobile data connection to Garmap for Mobile users. The information is displayed directly on the on-screen map, with small, car-shaped icons used to symbolise traffic congestion.

Andrew McHenry, Head of Mobile and Content for Garmap, says that while bad traffic is a fact of life, with constantly updated traffic information being fed into your navigation system, you can either avoid the worst of it by taking a detour or, if there is a major unavoidable delay, reschedule your trip.

“The Garmap for Mobile traffic-notification service is always up to date, there are no delays or 20-minute gaps between updates as with other more static solutions currently available,” McHenry says.

“You can listen to the traffic report on the radio or read traffic advisory SMS messages on your phone, but a lot can happen between the time you hear the report and the time you jump into your car and begin driving.

“Because Garmap for Mobile Live Traffic utilises data gathered from Altech Netstar’s satellite tracking devices, the traffic data is always accurate. There won’t be any nasty surprises waiting for you on your trip,” he says.

The service is still being tested but is expected to be available later this year. The test phase covers Gauteng only and will then be made available to the entire country when the service is officially launched.

“Garmap’s mobile navigation application is the most advanced we’ve seen, and we are delighted to provide our traffic data to this leading company,” comments Joel Stransky, Managing Director of Altech Nestar Group.

Garmap and Altech Netstar are currently offering Garmap for Mobile users the opportunity to try Live Traffic free during the test phase.

Existing Garmap for Mobile users wishing to do so should SMS the word TRAFFIC to 32541 to be automatically subscribed.

Garmap for Mobile, which was recently selected as MTN’s official mobile navigation platform, is currently bundled on a select range of Samsung handsets, and is compatible with Windows Mobile, Symbian, BlackBerry® and Android powered GPS enabled handsets.

The software supports phones with built-in GPS and can also be used on phones that can connect to a Bluetooth GPS adaptor.

Users who don’t have Garmap for Mobile but would like to try the service can download a 7-day free trial of the software, with traffic enabled, by browsing to http://garmapformobile.wisepilot.com from their phones.