Vehicle Information and Communication System
Vehicle Information and Communication System(VICS) is a technology used inJapanfor deliveringtrafficandtravelinformation toroad vehicledrivers. It provides simple maps showing information about traffic jams, travel time, and road work - usually relevant to your location and usually incorporating infrared beacons.
It can be compared with the EuropeanTMCtechnology.
VICS is transmitted using:
- FMmultiplex broadcasting(usesDARC). With this method, you have to manually select road conditions on-screen.
- Infraredbeacons over Japan's highways and urban roads. With this method, road conditions automatically pop up.
- Microwavesin theISM band.
It is an application ofITS.
The VICS information can be displayed on the car navigation unit at 3 levels:
- Level-1: Simple text data
- Level-2: In form of simple diagrams
- Level-3: Data superimposed on the map displayed on navigation unit (e.g., traffic congestion data)
Information transmitted generally includestraffic congestiondata, data on availability ofservice areas(SA) andparking areas(PA), information onroad worksandtraffic collisions.
Some advanced navigation units might utilize this data for route calculation (e.g., choosing a route to avoid congestion) or the driver might use his/her own discretion while using this information.