Meridian Licenses Fonix Speech Technology for Nevada 511 Road Traffic Information Service

SALT LAKE CITY - Meridian Environmental Technology, a provider of weather forecasting and road information services, deployed a 511 traveler information service in Nevada that incorporates Fonix speech recognition technology. Fonix licenses its speech technology to Meridian under a non-exclusive contractual agreement.

Meridian is committed to offering motorists the most advanced cutting-edge technology solutions to make driving safer," said Mark Owens, vice president, Meridian Transportation Services. "Fonix technology enables the Nevada 511 system with speech-based access to travel-related information. Users don't have to push numerous buttons on their cell phones; instead, they access information with voice commands. It's more user friendly, and, we believe, ultimately results in a safer travel experience for drivers."

Meridian and Fonix have partnered to incorporate Fonix speech technology into Meridian's 511 traveler information system, which is currently available in Nevada, North Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, and Montana. By dialing 5-1-1, callers can access information about route-specific weather, construction, accidents/incidents/events, and road conditions as well as other general travel information. Callers request information on a specific section of highway, and the application using Fonix speech recognition queries a database for that highway and speaks the information from the database to the caller.