TRAFFIC INFORMATION PROVIDING SYSTEM, TRAFFIC INFORMATION EXPRESSION METHOD AND DEVICE

摘要

There is provided a traffic information display method capable of expressing traffic information whose reliability and superiority can be recognized quantitatively. Moreover, there is provided a traffic information providing system capable of clearly notifying an "unclear" interval to a reception side. The state amount of traffic information is expressed by a state amount of a sampling point which is set by dividing the road to be checked. The traffic information is expressed by this state amount of the traffic information and gray scale information for displaying the state amount reliability in multiple gradations. For this, a user can know the reliability degree of the traffic information and correctly evaluate the traffic information. Moreover, by using this traffic information, it is possible to execute a route search with a high accuracy and provide traffic information with an appropriate fee. Furthermore, there are provided a traffic information providing device providing as traffic information a state amount of the traffic information in each distance quantized unit set by dividing the road to be checked and mask bit information indicating whether the state amount is valid or invalid, and a traffic information utilization device which receives the traffic information and reproduces a valid state amount by using the mask bit information. In this traffic information providing system, the reception side can accurately know an "unclear" interval surrounded by an ellipse according to the mask bit information.