3 December 2008 - TomTom, the world's leading navigation solutions provider, today announces the introduction of a new online Route Planner that will be accessible via http://routes.tomtom.com. The free web-based Route Planner allows users to pre-plan a route and obtain precise travel and arrival times easily, before setting off on their journey.
In this first phase, the TomTom online Route Planner will be accessible for a selected group of users taking part in a closed test programme (BETA test programme) starting this week.
In a world first, the TomTom online Route Planner gives users door-to-door route planning options to any address, taking into account real-time and historic information on traffic flows throughout the day.
Uniquely, it incorporates dynamic traffic information (through HD
Traffic(tm)*) as well as 500 billion historic speed measurements of roads across the world (through IQ Routes(tm)). This allows users to pre-plan their routes based on facts, rather than estimates, resulting in very precise travel time predictions. In addition, map corrections that are made by TomTom users through Map Share(tm) are regularly uploaded to the Route Planner, so users always have access to the most accurate routes based on the latest map information.
"The introduction of the online Route Planner marks an important step in our strategy to make our award-winning navigation available for all users, regardless of the platform that is used," says Harold Goddijn, TomTom's chief executive officer.
"Users who do not have a navigation device can now also benefit from our high-quality routing before starting their journey, giving them a chance to plan their day more efficiently than ever before".
Depending on the success and feedback from the BETA programme, the TomTom online Route Planner will gradually be rolled out to users worldwide. The route planner is currently available in six languages including English, French, German, Dutch, Italian and Spanish.
