Observation: Google uses GPS data well to report traffic conditions

[Argo]

Yeah, google maps is awesome - that being one of the reasons. I never understood why cars have their proprietary navigations systems (which mostly suck) instead of using google maps.

I still like using my cars built in navigation due to screen size and its integration with audio system, but I do miss the quality of google maps navigation.

 

[NutBucket]

Google Traffic is unreliable at best. Mostly because it doesn't update in real time, so data gets old fast. Same with Beat the Traffic, which is what I use for work. Waze is better since it crowd sources. Boots on the ground, so you get a view closer to real time.

We're developing our own real time traffic app at work. It also will route you based on traffic conditions. Our system combines cell based flow with crowd sourcing and a traffic desk updating in real time. So inaccurate flow data can be corrected and collisions added on the fly. The public beta doesn't exactly uh... work though. They're still ironing out bugs in the routing engine. So I'm not going to say the name of it. It's a cool concept but it needs a lot of work still.

How does\s the work your company is doing differ from Waze? Sounds pretty similar to me.

 

[MonKENy]

Kind of like the Waze app. Super accurate but too bad for long drives it doesn't give any predictive information so I won't know if Seattle 3 hours from now (time it takes me to drive there) will be a cluster-frak or not.

google does have predictive traffic. At least the PC version does. Im sure the app does if you dig for it.

Google Traffic is unreliable at best. Mostly because it doesn't update in real time, so data gets old fast.

Google seems to update in real time to me. Or very close to it. Ive watched the traffic go from red to green as it needed to.

 

[Eli]

I've thought they were doing this based on the behavior. When I'm out in the middle of nowhere at 3AM, the green dot goes grey, I guess signaling that they don't have enough data to know what the path ahead holds. Sometimes it will come and go.

It also seems pretty real time to me. The yellow and red sections are usually right on.

 

[TuxDave]

google does have predictive traffic. At least the PC version does. Im sure the app does if you dig for it.

Check the year. I have no idea what Google Maps had back in 2011.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XihQeZpwqpE&feature=player_embedded

Moscow gridlock starts about 2:00 in and it doesn't faze him.

Top Comment:

"He probably could've gone faster if his balls weren't weighing him down so much."

 

[bigrash]

That's pretty cool that google tracks you like that for traffic reasons.

 

[preslove]

One of the google v apple hangups for maps was the fact that the default iOS app didn't give google data. Google felt that this was worth a ton of money (which apple was giving them). The new Google Maps iPhone app is giving them location data.

 

[drebo]

Yeah. We left at 10am and got home right after midnight.

Did you drive down highway 1 or something? Smells like bad planning, imo.

I've never seen 99 or 5 anywhere near that.

 

[shortylickens]

In my area the traffic data is about 1 hour delayed, meaning you can easily run into bad traffic with no warning.
But I guess for long trips its nice. And frankly for daily commutes, you should know what the traffic is like.

 

[Miramonti]

Do Android phones phone home triangulation coordinates regardless of opting in to gps?

 

[rudeguy]

Do Android phones phone home triangulation coordinates regardless of opting in to gps?

it depends what you mean

If you disable gps, no

If you enable gps, obviously they have to

 

[rudeguy]

In my area the traffic data is about 1 hour delayed, meaning you can easily run into bad traffic with no warning.
But I guess for long trips its nice. And frankly for daily commutes, you should know what the traffic is like.

Yea Google's traffic data is terrible in my city (Grand Rapids, MI...not exactly a small town). I would complain but we only have 3 highways to worry about and traffic is never that bad.

 

[shortylickens]

Do Android phones phone home triangulation coordinates regardless of opting in to gps?

Some phones do it by cellular, but its very poor quality. Some phones simply dont. Android OS does support it on all bands.

 

[rsutoratosu]

love waze, I also use inrix

 

[Anonemous]

Another vote for WAZE, they saw an upcoming accident on the 5 around Magic Mountain and rerouted me around it. Saving me 20 minutes.