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There's a good analysis of it here:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/06/23/links-23-june-the-unpredictability-of-the-law-ftc-to-probe-googles-waze-acquisition/

Actually, its a poor analysis. It totally misses the point that Wayz is NOT a mapping company. Its a traffic reporting one trick pony company.

That space (traffic reporting) is vastly smaller than the mapping segment. Google does this mostly by cell phones stacking up on roads.
Microsoft does this by tying into existing into Traffic.com, and also some State and Local traffic reporting systems, which is why their coverage are is so miserable.

Traffic.com is the major player in this sphere, and their service is really slow and difficult to expand.

Traffic.com is owned by Navteq which is owned by Nokia. I'm sure neither of those companies would object to Google getting a toe-hold in the traffic market. *Cough*.

There's a good analysis of it here:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/06/23/links-23-june-the-unpredictability-of-the-law-ftc-to-probe-googles-waze-acquisition/

Actually, its a poor analysis. It totally misses the point that Wayz is NOT a mapping company. Its a traffic reporting one trick pony company.

That space (traffic reporting) is vastly smaller than the mapping segment. Google does this mostly by cell phones stacking up on roads.
Microsoft does this by tying into existing into Traffic.com, and also some State and Local traffic reporting systems, which is why their coverage are is so miserable.

Traffic.com is the major player in this sphere, and their service is really slow and difficult to expand.

Traffic.com is owned by Navteq which is owned by Nokia. I'm sure neither of those companies would object to Google getting a toe-hold in the traffic market. *Cough*.

If you don't know the website for your state go to

http://www.traffic.com/ which has traffic information for many cities.

For Dallas-Fort Worth Area http://dfwtraffic.dot.state.tx.us/
For Houston Area http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/layers/ ( one of the best websites in USA)
For San Antonio http://www.transguide.dot.state.tx.us/
For El Paso http://www.transvista.dot.state.tx.us/homepage.htm l

Cool site that goes live tomorrow.

mobi.traffic.com

I imagine this won't survive Slashdot, but please destroy it(I need some numbers:-). This is not meant for a web browser to all people who will say that it looks ugly in Firefox.

• Atlanta http://www.georgia-navigator.com/maps/atlanta http://wsbradio.com/MARKET/traffic/map.html
• • Tallahassee http://smsdmz12.state.fl.us/bin/CgiAtmsMap.exe?Are a=Overview&Layers=L&submit1=Show+Map
  • • Orlando http://www.traffic.com/Orlando-Traffic/Orlando-Tra ffic-Reports.html
    • Tampa
    • http://www.traffic.com/Tampa-Traffic/Tampa-Traffic -Reports.html
    • Miami http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/traffic/sfl-traff icmap,0,2300850.framedurl
    • San Francisco http://www.sfbaytraffic.info/map.htm
    • Maryland http://www.chart.state.md.us/travinfo/travinfo.asp http://www.chart.state.md.us/MapNet/MapDOTNET.aspx ?Browser=NS6&ViewName=Triangle&Cmd=switchtheme&tab =Traffic&DoPanTo=False&Direction=&PanFactor=&DoZoo mScaleFactor=&x=&y=&Encoder=&timestamp=72586&x1=34 7511&x2=458427&y2=207368&y1=123548
    • New York, LA, San Francisco http://www.metrocommute.com/
    • For more links visit http://www.joegivens.com/traffic.htm http://www.traffic.com/ http://www.shgresources.com/fl/traffic/
    • Manufacturers of systems based on cell phone tracking http://www.delcan.com/prod/index.php?id=295 http://www.airsage.com/case_study.html

• Atlanta http://www.georgia-navigator.com/maps/atlanta http://wsbradio.com/MARKET/traffic/map.html
• • Tallahassee http://smsdmz12.state.fl.us/bin/CgiAtmsMap.exe?Are a=Overview&Layers=L&submit1=Show+Map
  • • Orlando http://www.traffic.com/Orlando-Traffic/Orlando-Tra ffic-Reports.html
    • Tampa
    • http://www.traffic.com/Tampa-Traffic/Tampa-Traffic -Reports.html
    • Miami http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/traffic/sfl-traff icmap,0,2300850.framedurl
    • San Francisco http://www.sfbaytraffic.info/map.htm
    • Maryland http://www.chart.state.md.us/travinfo/travinfo.asp http://www.chart.state.md.us/MapNet/MapDOTNET.aspx ?Browser=NS6&ViewName=Triangle&Cmd=switchtheme&tab =Traffic&DoPanTo=False&Direction=&PanFactor=&DoZoo mScaleFactor=&x=&y=&Encoder=&timestamp=72586&x1=34 7511&x2=458427&y2=207368&y1=123548
    • New York, LA, San Francisco http://www.metrocommute.com/
    • For more links visit http://www.joegivens.com/traffic.htm http://www.traffic.com/ http://www.shgresources.com/fl/traffic/
    • Manufacturers of systems based on cell phone tracking http://www.delcan.com/prod/index.php?id=295 http://www.airsage.com/case_study.html

• Atlanta http://www.georgia-navigator.com/maps/atlanta http://wsbradio.com/MARKET/traffic/map.html
• • Tallahassee http://smsdmz12.state.fl.us/bin/CgiAtmsMap.exe?Are a=Overview&Layers=L&submit1=Show+Map
  • • Orlando http://www.traffic.com/Orlando-Traffic/Orlando-Tra ffic-Reports.html
    • Tampa
    • http://www.traffic.com/Tampa-Traffic/Tampa-Traffic -Reports.html
    • Miami http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/traffic/sfl-traff icmap,0,2300850.framedurl
    • San Francisco http://www.sfbaytraffic.info/map.htm
    • Maryland http://www.chart.state.md.us/travinfo/travinfo.asp http://www.chart.state.md.us/MapNet/MapDOTNET.aspx ?Browser=NS6&ViewName=Triangle&Cmd=switchtheme&tab =Traffic&DoPanTo=False&Direction=&PanFactor=&DoZoo mScaleFactor=&x=&y=&Encoder=&timestamp=72586&x1=34 7511&x2=458427&y2=207368&y1=123548
    • New York, LA, San Francisco http://www.metrocommute.com/
    • For more links visit http://www.joegivens.com/traffic.htm http://www.traffic.com/ http://www.shgresources.com/fl/traffic/
    • Manufacturers of systems based on cell phone tracking http://www.delcan.com/prod/index.php?id=295 http://www.airsage.com/case_study.html

While I have only seen commercials for the Acura RL it has the technology already built in. However the RL is getting the traffic information from those funny solar pannels on the sides of the road. It is actually pretty slick because the RL uses XM radio as the delivery method for the traffic information provided by Traffic.com. This is already a multi-million dollar project funded by the US Government.

Traffic.com also posts realtime traffic flow information, and they say they get their data from these sources.

Traffic.com also posts realtime traffic flow information, and they say they get their data from these sources.

Where this traffic information come from? This seems like something that you local department of transportation should be providing, but the only thing I can find on the Florida DOT (I live near Orlando) website is this map (http://www3.dot.state.fl.us/trafficinformation/) which is scant on any real data. The only sources of substantive information are local news stations or http://www.traffic.com/.

Why doesn't the DOT release traffic reports in XML just like the NOAA does now with weather reports?

Philadelphia, Traffic.com has this as well. And I can get to at least the non-graphical keyroute summary from my t-mobile sidekick as well.

By the way, I'm sure Motorists in Denver are just loving /. right now for jamming their online traffic info ...

Philadelphia, Traffic.com has this as well. And I can get to at least the non-graphical keyroute summary from my t-mobile sidekick as well.

By the way, I'm sure Motorists in Denver are just loving /. right now for jamming their online traffic info ...

- Barrie

Yeah, but then readers would be required nation-wide which is costly to say the least. The resaon 'automated roads' have been back-burnered is the astronomical expense of implementing it in any large scale.

Well go to traffic.com and you can see up to the minute traffic info for most of the US metro areas. They have installed sensors every 1/4 to 2 miles in damn near all freeways and a number of streets. Just 1000 feet away from me right now is one of those things in the street to trigger the new traffic signal "for better traffic flow" and monitoring by the city. It would take very little to add 1 more sensor for RFID data to be passed back over the same system...

They were put up by Traffic.com. We were the pilot city for their system. Those sensors poll every 60 seconds, and can tell how dense and how fast the flow is moving (or not moving as you approach the Squirrel Hill Tunnels). They combine this with traditional methods (choppers, watchtowers, cellphone callers) to handle accidents on the main routes, as well as general information on traffic in areas not covered by the flow sensors.

It's pretty cool. I can now see in realtime just how frelled up the Parkways East and West are, and exactly where the Perpetual I-79 Repaving Project is this week. And it doesn't seem capable to pick out individual vehicles, so it can only detect how fast the flow is going.

We're not scare-mongering/This is really happening - Radiohead