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Big data technology firm INRIX has launched its new INRIX Road Weather service to provide critical road condition information to drivers in Europe and North America.

The new service provides information on road precipitation, surface condition visibility and other characteristics of the road itself, distinguishing itself from other conventional weather information solutions. It also provides road condition update alerts every 15 minutes.

INRIX Road Weather was developed by the company together with the Global Weather Corporation (GWC). Road condition data from in-vehicle sensors is combined with algorithms from GWC to predict road precipitation and temperature, alerting drivers of dangerous situations beforehand.

The service is now available to automakers, public sector agencies and mobile application developers. It will also be made available in the INRIX mobile app soon.

INRIX Road Weather can help road maintenance agencies and public transportation agencies improve their resource efficiency. In addition, it can help emergency service personnel manage the traffic flow before an accident occurs.

Bryan Mistele, founder and chief executive officer of INRIX, said, "INRIX has been focused on making driving not only more efficient, but also safer. Road Weather is another innovative next step that continues our work to use massive amounts of big data and leading-edge technology to make connected cars safer and cities smarter."

Mark Flolid, chief executive officer, GWC, said, "Global Weather Corporation has pioneered the global use of hyperlocal weather models to create forecasts even specific enough for vehicle applications. We are partnering with INRIX to leverage the power of real-time connected vehicle data that can further enhance forecast accuracy and coverage, which will ultimately improve driver safety."