INFORMATION NETWORK IN VEHICLE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM (VICS)

In the Metropolitan Tokyo, Osaka, and Aichi areas in Japan, information provision services by Vehicle Information and Communication Systems (VICS) were commenced recently. The VICS is a system which provides road traffic information to drivers through their in-vehicle units and is intended to enhance the safety and smoothness of vehicular traffic through the proper use of information, for example, by displaying information through a car navigation system connected to the in-vehicle unit. In the VICS, road traffic information on congestion, travel times, etc. is provided in three different forms: text message, simplified graphics, and link. Information in the form of link is provided by using authorized VICS links and is displayed to drivers by superimposing it on the digital map of a car navigation system. In the VICS, road traffic information collected by each traffic control center is gathered at the VICS Center in Tokyo. At each traffic control center, required traffic information on roads and expressways in other prefectures and under the administration of other agencies is collected through the VICS Center. From each control center, the collected information is provided to the in-vehicle unit of each vehicle through a roadside infrared beacon which has both vehicle detection and two-way communication functions. In a new light, the VICS can be said to be a huge information network system which covers large urban areas in Japan to provide traffic information to drivers through their in-vehicle units. This paper discusses the flow of information in the VICS information network from the collection of information to its provision by way of example of the system constructed in Osaka.