Vehicle Information and Communication System
Vehicle Information and Communication System is a technology used in Japan for delivering traffic and travel information to road vehicle drivers. 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 European TMC technology.
VICS is transmitted using:
- FM multiplex broadcasting. With this method, you have to manually select road conditions on-screen.
- Infrared beacons over Japan's highways and urban roads. With this method, road conditions automatically pop up.
- Microwaves in the ISM band.
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
Some advanced navigation units might utilize this data for route calculation or the driver might use his/her own discretion while using this information.