May 19, 2009 — MapMechanics is pleased to announce the introduction of Smart Routing a new drive time application that will raise efficiency, increase profitability and boost turnover. This is achieved by using a range of new functionality including ability to calculate journey times and distances taking account of constraints such as one way streets, or low bridges.

Smart Routing enables the user to specify direction of travel when calculating drive times. It also provides faster easier ways to adjust speeds associated with road networks, including rapid swap between time of day, vehicle type or seasonal differences.

New hierarchical modelling techniques reduce calculating time and produce faster results and new sharing capability generates drive times without needing to copy the map data to other machines.

When planning the most efficient route for the delivery of goods, sales territory planning or calculating the distance from a new store location, one needs to be mindful of the conditions the driver is likely to experience. Your organisation’s drive time software needs to reflect the real world conditions on the road.

Our journeys are often made more complex when we consider one way streets, banned turns, width restrictions etc. The Smart Routing Application creates drive time isochrones, time or distance matrices and routes taking into account these constraints and generates results that are far more likely to reflect the real conditions we encounter on the roads.

Smart Routing also acknowledges the fact that it can, for example, take longer to drive into town (perhaps if you are a customer visiting a store) than to drive out from the same location (to deliver goods). Now Smart Routing offers users the option to specify whether the drive time calculation is based on driving from the chosen points or towards them, according to the scenario being modelled. This is essential for creating intuitive, accurate drive times that reflect our everyday experience.

MapMechanics has led the way in providing a range of different speeds on road networks to enable users to model drive time and distance calculations reflecting the time of day, vehicle type etc. Now new Smart Routing from MapMechanics, makes it really easy to swap between models, just click to select peak time, night-time, HGV etc. Using this flexibility it is also possible to use your own customised network to swap to alternate routes in specific circumstances. For example the user could create their own winter network with notoriously icy roads set to slow speed and impassable roads set to zero. Alternatively the feature could be used to avoid congested routes during major sporting events, for example.

The Smart Routing module determines routes in a hierarchical manner to take the user onto the fastest road as quickly as possible; in the same manner they would intuitively use a paper map. Once on a main road travelling in the general direction of the destination the system does not consider every option at every junction, it will build a route using the main road while it continues in approximately the right direction. Choose this option and computing time is only spent assessing options when the current main road terminates or deviates from the desired direction. This feature significantly reduces the time required to create the best route or drive time catchment, making it possible to very quickly make many hundreds of drive time catchments (isochrones).

Another key facet of the system is that it separates the mapping elements from the routing function. To achieve this, the Smart Routing software utilises a sophisticated graph calculation to provide all the information needed to create routes and isochrones based on a range of speed and directional information. Only the graph associated with the map is required to produce powerful route based results regardless of the data actually held within the working map. This allows one user to build the desired networks with the correct speed information and other users are then able to create isochrones using these details even if they only have access raster maps.

Determining drive times is now easier than ever thanks to NEW GeoConcept Smart Routing from MapMechanics.

MapMechanics will be holding a series of Webinars outlining the benefits of Smart Routing and how the application can help your business when determining drive times. The first seminar is scheduled for May 21st. To register please visit www.mapmechanics.com/events


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About MapMechanics

MapMechanics has been providing innovative solutions in sales and marketing, logistics planning, digital mapping and geographic analysis for twenty years.

MapMechanics uses digital map-based technologies to offer an extensive range of Web, desktop, paper and component solutions for a variety of business applications, from atlas production to business analysis, site selection, customer profiling and vehicle routing and scheduling.

MapMechanics distributes a wide range of data products including AA, NAVTEQ and Ordnance Survey digital mapping, as well as leading business and demographic datasets from many sources throughout the world. This data is listed in the Data Catalogue, which is probably the most extensive and up-to-date printed listing of its kind in Britain. It is published at least once a year, and is also available on the Internet.

MapMechanics is a major supplier of software solutions. It is the UK distributor of the GeoConcept geographic information system, which is used extensively in a diverse range of fields such as retail planning, marketing, healthcare, environmental planning and management, transport and logistics, site selection, network planning and territory allocation, telematics and command and control applications, policing and broadcasting, and central and local government.

MapMechanics also supplies and supports MicroAnalytics’ TruckStops and OptiSite in Britain. TruckStops is the world’s most widely-deployed routing and scheduling solution, and is in use in North and South America, Britain, continental Europe and elsewhere. OptiSite is an established and widely-deployed network modelling tool. Backing up its extensive product range, MapMechanics offers a comprehensive service of implementation support and training.



Contact:

Katy McKenna
MapMechanics
Canal Court, 155 High Street,
Brentford, London, TW8 8JA
Email: Email Contact
Tel: +44 (020) 8568 7000
Fax:+44 (020) 8568 7400
Website: http://www.mapmechanics.com

Press Release also available on the Web
http://www.mapmechanics.com/mapmechanicspressroom/press_room.htm