TietoEnator consults Finnish Road Administration in the Digiroad project

TietoEnator consults Finnish Road Administration in the Digiroad project - Digiroad gathers data on the Finnish road and street network into electronic form TietoEnator has concluded an agreement with the Finnish Road Administration on consulting related to the definition of the information system of the Digiroad project. The aim of the Digiroad project is to develop a unified basic register of the Finnish road and street network, which will function as basis of telematic traffic services. The register will be available for companies offering traffic services as they develop their own services and offer them to companies, the public sector, and individual motorists. The Digiroad system will be taken into use in the autumn of 2003. The development of services based on it will start at the same time as the building of the system itself. The data offered by Digiroad combined with satellite-based positioning systems, mobile phone nets and the drive computers of cars offer service providers extensive possibilities to develop services of their own on the Digiroad platform. The basic register will comprise the geometry of Finnish roads and data on the use of roads like traffic restrictions, one-way streets, forbidden turns, weight and speed limits as well as information on the most important road stops. In the future, it will be possible to use the data offered by Digiroad, e.g. when planning the best possible route - how can for example a transport lorry that is fetching a timber load best find its way along the small forest roads. The best way for an individual motorist to get help in choosing the right route is to purchase a navigation device, which is becoming more and more common in cars. With the help of GPS positioning, the position of the car can be seen on the map of the service, after which the driver gets instructions on how to find the right address from there. "One of the future application areas of Digiroad is the optimisation of routes, which is especially useful for transport companies. The optimisation of the route also takes into consideration traffic limitations like forbidden directions, one-way streets, etc. Thanks to this the transport company can better than before optimise the transport distance and time and at the same time minimise the use of fuel ", says Mr Jan Juslén, who is responsible for the Digiroad project at the Finnish Road Administration. "When optimising the route, it is essential for the users that Digiroad covers the entire road and street network. The data in the system will be updated constantly. The aim is to have a reasonable price for Digiroad's information. The authorities will probably be able to use the data free of charge so that for example the fire and emergency departments can use Digiroad effectively." With a staff of 10,000 and annual net sales of 1.1 billion euros, TietoEnator is a leading supplier of high value-added IT services in Europe. TietoEnator provides consulting, systems development and integration, operation and support, product development services for customers, and software services. The Group has in-depth knowledge of its customers' businesses in areas such as telecommunications, finance, the public sector and the forest industry. www.tietoenator.com Of the 1 700 experts working in TietoEnator's Public Sector, more than 400 are engaged in projects dealing with digital administration. At Group level, 2 700 experts are working with the implementation of web solutions and services for the customers. The Finnish Road Administration is responsible for flexible, comfortable and secure traffic, both heavy and light. In co-operation with authorities responsible for other forms of traffic, the Road Administration plans, maintains and develops the entire traffic system. As expert in road maintenance, the Road Administration participates actively in the planning of local land use and traffic systems. The basic service comprises additional services for road users, information on road and weather conditions, traffic hindrances and obstacles as well as recommended routes. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Jan Juslén, Finnish Road Administration, tel. +358 204442120, +358 40 547 6387 Jouko Ruuttunen, TietoEnator Corporation, tel. +358 9 8625 2416, +358 400 465 635 TIETOENATOR CORPORATION DISTRIBUTION Principal media ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/04/10/20010410BIT00130/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/04/10/20010410BIT00130/bit0001.pdf