Telcontar, a supplier of software and related services for location-based services (LBS) and TrafficCast, a traffic information company and digital traffic data provider, announced a partnership intended to accelerate the use of flow traffic information in navigation and other LBS applications. Under the agreement, Telcontar has used its Traffic Manager(TM) product to integrate TrafficCast's flow-based traffic feed with Telcontar's Drill Down Server(TM) (DDS) spatial software platform, and has become a TrafficCast data reseller. As a result, say the companies, Telcontar customers are now able to seamlessly integrate real-time traffic conditions into their location-based services and applications. "The Telcontar and TrafficCast combination is an ideal way for Internet portals, wireless carriers, telematics providers and LBS providers to offer travel services that incorporate accurate and current real-time traffic conditions. All drivers have an interest in and a need for knowing traffic conditions when they are on the road. This partnership permits Telcontar customers to meet that need, and we hope soon to be able to support traffic forecasts for future traveling as well," said Eric Carlson, president and CEO of Telcontar. "Many millions of people already use mapping portals, PDAs, in-car navigation systems or cell phones to obtain driving directions from systems powered by our Drill Down Server," observed Mr. Carlson. "Businesses are also improving the efficiency of their field service, trucking, dispatch and sales resources by implementing Mobile Resource Management systems based on the same platform. By enabling real-time traffic support, we are helping our customers differentiate their product offerings by improving the value they can deliver to their customers. We are confident that in time, real-time traffic conditions and forecasts will become as easily available as maps are today, and we are proud to be in a position to help make that a reality." Said Connie Li, chief operating officer of TrafficCast, "As a provider of traffic content and predictive traffic forecasts, our products are often integrated with spatial platform software to create complete location-based service solutions. Telcontar and its customers represent the forefront of the emerging market for automated driving directions, vehicle tracking and management, telematics concierge services and wireless LBS applications. We are pleased to partner with them, and expect this integration to greatly simplify and speed the integration of traffic with services currently being offered in the marketplace." TrafficCast provides traffic information collected from numerous sources including Departments of Transportation, emergency service agencies, law enforcement, government call centers, and private data sources. Traffic information will be combined with Telcontar's technology and delivered to navigation and telematics systems through a wireless signal to allow better informed routing decisions. Telcontar says its Traffic Manager is a product that seamlessly integrates real-time traffic flow and incident information with existing applications and location-based services. By using Traffic Manager with Telcontar's DDS software platform, LBS providers will now be able to quickly add traffic capabilities to their applications. This will enable new operations such as automatically rerouting vehicles around traffic jams, visually displaying traffic conditions, integrating real-time traffic with vehicle navigation systems, and creating new traffic applications for wireless cell and PDA users. Traffic Manager is a Java-based, J2EE compliant module to the DDS that provides customers with a scalable solution ideal for their high transaction environments. It interfaces with Oracle 9i Database and a J2EE-compliant application server environment, and is certified on WebLogic 6.1 from BEA Systems and JBoss 3.2.1. About TrafficCast TrafficCast (www.trafficcast.com) says it is the only firm that generates personalized, route-specific real-time and predictive traffic and travel time information for the entire United States. The firm provides current and predicted travel times for more than 400,000 miles coast to coast including interstate highways, other expressways, and major arterials. About Telcontar Telcontar is a worldwide provider of a spatial software platform. Telcontar clients such as Yahoo!, Hutchison 3G, Criticom, Satronics, Rand McNally Inc. and ATX Technologies use its Televoke Universal Telematics Server, Drill Down Server, Rich Map Engine and Traffic Manager products to offer end users asset or resource management, MSSC, real-time navigation and traffic, driving directions, roadside or emergency assistance and maps. Telcontar is privately held and headquartered in San Jose, California with field offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Denver, Massachusetts and the United Kingdom. For more information, please visit www.telcontar.com.