Patent ID: 8150622

Claim:
A method for providing a traffic information service to a vehicle comprising: broadband broadcasting traffic information through an external network to the vehicle, wherein the traffic information is based on a first map configured to include a traffic information measurement node that comprises the traffic information; providing data, within the broadcasted traffic information, the data comprising a set of link IDs that relates the first map with a second map to be rendered by a vehicle navigation unit, wherein the second map is different from the first map, and wherein the set of link IDs are configured to identify at least one of a road segment, a landmark and a guide point in the first and second map; translating, the traffic information measurement node matched from the first map to the second map, the translation comprising: determining, on the first map, whether a link ID in the set of link IDs is located within a pre-set distance from the traffic information node; responsive to determining that the link ID in the set of link IDs is located within the pre-set distance from the traffic information node, identifying, on the second map, a location of the traffic information node with the pre-set distance and the link ID; and responsive to determining that the link ID in the set of link IDs is located outside of the pre-set distance from the traffic information node, translating the traffic information node onto the second map, the translating of the traffic information node onto the second map comprising: identifying, on the first map, at least two link IDs between for which the traffic information node is located; determining, on the first map, a ratio of distances between the at least two link IDs and the traffic information node; identifying the location, on the second map, of the traffic information node with the ratio of distances and at least one link ID; based on the traffic information, providing a traffic information service to the vehicle navigation unit, wherein the vehicle navigation unit is configured for displaying the traffic information with the second map, wherein map data in the vehicle navigation unit includes data linking the first map and the second map, the map data being provided in a look-up table that is valid for one of a period of time and a number of uses, the look-up table being configured to establish a relationship between the first map and the second map only when the look-up table is valid.