According to a NAVTEQ research, based on nearly 395,000 unique route tests in 18 U.S. and Canadian cities, it appears that historical traffic data ( NAVTEQ Traffic Patterns) can save drivers up to 22 hours a year for an average, daily, roundtrip commute of 40 miles.

In this NAVTEQ research a cross section of high-traffic cities were tested, including: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington, D.C.

Testing showed that in major cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, up to 40 percent of typical traffic delays can be avoided with NAVTEQ Traffic Patterns. In Chicago, for example, the research determined that drivers typically experience 65 hours of annual traffic delays, and could save 26 hours using NAVTEQ Traffic Patterns, avoiding 40 percent of these delays yearly. In Los Angeles commuters could avoid 27 percent of typical traffic delays and in New York 33% of the congestion.

Technology
NAVTEQ Traffic Patterns includes typical traffic speeds on nearly one million miles of primary and secondary roads across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. This database offers seven daily traffic models covering each day of the week, including 24-hour speed values in 15-minute intervals.

The database is created using multiple years' observations from GPS probe and sensor data, which is aggregated, verified and then matched to traffic location codes. Anonymous GPS data from Nokia handsets (Ovi Maps) will be integrated into NAVTEQ Traffic Patterns by the end of 2009.

In the United States NAVTEQ Traffic Patterns is competing with Tele Atlas which has over ten million km covered in seven days/five minutes increments. This huge database was created using anonymous GPS data from TomTom customers.