Hardware-Based Commute-Map Gadget

coreymetrics writes "Anyone have one of these things? While it's no substitute for an improved mass-transit solution in the Puget Sound area, TrafficGauge's new gadget sure looks like it beats any PDA or cell phone auto traffic map I've used. It uses the same data that powers the Washington State DOT's indispensable website. Now why can't auto makers put this kind of thing in a dash instead of mostly worthless GPS navigation and DVD units?"

Comments

"Worthless Navigation Systems"

[Scoria]

Now why can't auto makers put this kind of thing in a dash instead of mostly worthless GPS navigation and DVD units?

Several Mercedes-Benz GPS navigation systems actually do support the reception of traffic information embedded inside of radio signals.

Re:"Worthless Navigation Systems"

[paulerdos]

i live in the seattle area, and this seems very useful. it is often the case that for the two bridges over lake washington (520 and 90 on the screen on the linked page), when one of them is clogged, the other is (significantly) less clogged. it's usually more often the case that 90 is less clogged than 520 than the reverse, but anyway, this device seems very useful.

Re:"Worthless Navigation Systems"

[radish]

This is really common in the UK - a company called TrafficMaster gather data from their own network of sensors over most major roads in the country and make it available in a number of ways. You can get it off their website (with a sub), through a variety of standalone devices like the one in the article (except more flexible as they cover the entire network) or licensed to integrated in-car systems. My parents BMW has had TrafficMaster integrated into the GPS nav system for a good few years now - not only can it show you how to get somewhere it can find a quicker route if the traffic's bad.

Running this site on XP Pro or what?

[greendot]

There are only 4 comments posted and already the site is slashed.

Slashdot should make a pay service that gives out links a few hours ahead of the main pack. What's an "infojunkie" to do these days?

CF Card?

[lpret]

How long do you think it will be before this is available as a CF card for your Pocket PC?

User suggestions?

[Mints]

California's Department of Transportation is working on a similar system and I am working on the backend to a web interface similar to WSDOT's.

If there are any users of similar systems for planning travel routes/times on slashdot, what features did you find valuable, superfluous, or altogether lacking?

Is it valuable to have historic data? If so, how far back? Archived hourly analysis of traffic volumes, average time of travel on predefined routes? As a user, would you be interested in data beyond delays and congestion. Site specific information giving visibility, weather, etc?

Thank you for any responses!

Seems pretty limited

[TampaTim]

So it looks like it is a fixed display(non-matrix) that basically tells you which of 4 interstates is congested or not. Seems like it answers one question, should I avoid the interstates, or not. What if they are? How would you know the best alternate route?

How to finance these

[serutan]

Notice that the device has a "Home Game" symbol that alerts you to major events. Good feature! In my 15 years of commuting around the Seattle area, the commercial activities of the Mariners, Sonics and Seahawks have collectively added hundreds of hours of commute time to my life and have never compensated me in any way. How about if sports teams in a metropolitan area provide these gadgets free of charge to anyone who wants one?

Seen in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

[chendo]

In one episode of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, a device very similar to the one linked was shown, except much more detailed. However, the major was able to hack into it and make it show an accident on a bridge, forcing the bad guy to take an alternate route, easily apprehending him.

Could this be used in real life, I wonder?

Not a convicing demo

[ibbieta]

They claim that the Seattle area has unpredictable traffic and to prove it they have this series of examples all taken at 8:15am.

Now, I don't live anywhere near Seattle but every day the traffic looks the same to me. A bunch of heavy traffic in the same places every day. This is supposed to convice me? All this product demostration did was convice me to not move to the suburbs of Seattle anytime soon and if I already had, to try some different routes.

It also just displays four highways with just the promise of "compelling upgrades" in the future should new roads be added to the system. I'm sure the "compelling upgrades" will be much teh same as some software companies who charge for the upgrade and drop support for the old product. Compelling like a court order. :)

--ibbieta

Portable device? What about a traffic alarm...

[stigg]

...clock? I want an alarm clock that's programmed w/ the amount of lead time I need in the morning and where I'm going. It should check weather and traffic status real-time, and adjust my wake-up time on the fly so I get the maximum amount of sleep possible.

Too limited

[ap0]

For those that live in the Seattle area, you'll notice that it just covers the Lake Union area, and just the freeways. This is great to check your freeway commute, but if you stray from the greater Seattle area or go on any side street or state route, it's useless. The WSDOT doesn't have the traffic monitoring systems set up anywhere else in the state. This isn't a navigation tool - it's a traffic monitor for the freeways. Useless, since you can get the same information every couple minutes on the radio.

Re:I have one and love it

[RiffRafff]

Okay, so once everyone has one of these devices, what happens then? Say it tells you the north road is the best choice; now everyone with one of these things heads to that road. Seems to me that, when these become commonplace, your best bet would be to do the OPPOSITE of what it tells you.

Had one for years

[threaded]

I've had a system like this built in in my last 4 or 5 or is it 6 cars.

http://www.trafficmaster.co.uk/

Puts little road sign pictures up explaining what the delay is caused by, i.e. "Men at work" picture for roadworks, and how long the delay is expected. The Navigation unit takes this information and routes around the delay if necessary.

I even posted a story like this the last time such a system was mention on /. {:-)

802.11b solution

[HaveBlue34]

how about an 802.11b solution mixed with gps? send your current speed and location to other drivers. with enough of them the data would propagate through the network and even to the internet with strategicaly located access points. make the data available over the internet so your nifty navigation system can plot the fastest route based on distance and traffic. have it keep a log and you could predict the fastest route through a particular location in advance.

Re:Mostly Worthless?

[Technician]

I think the author doesn't have one of the in dash units. Mine auto-routes. It gives voice directions. It works even with the display turned off. I use the local talk radio for road reports. If I need to ditch the freeway, I just take any exit. The auto re-route works fully hands off. It re-does the route on the fly and contiues giving directions to an alternate route.

The unit I have is the factory Nav-Tech unit in the Toyota Prius. My only problem is my wife keeps swiping my car if she needs to go somewhere she hasn't been before. No need to deal with online maps. Punch in the address and go. Yahoo maps aren't much good if you need to re-route in traffic. It beats trying to read a map or Yahoo turn by turn directions while driving. I much prefer the voice "In two miles exit 62 is on the left." prompt.

Mostly useless is only defined by a commuter who never needs another route other than the few that are already pre'learned. The in dash GPS unit is perfect for realitors and others that need to go to many unknown locations. It quickly un-tangles many housing tracts that were nothing but a maze. Now they are an alternate route if needed. That's when you need the eyes on the road, not a map or GPS. By the way the Prius gets about 55 MPG in typical city driving.

I'm going to have to sping for a Street Pilot unit for my wife so I can keep my car. I hate driving the van.

Been around in Japan for a LONG time

[InakaBoyJoe]

This is news?!? Japanese "car-navi" systems have had traffic analysis features for at least the year I've been here. At first I couldn't understand why they were so popular, but then someone explained why, in this country where street addresses are rare, best route analysis is a real plus to drivers. As the site is slashdotted I can't tell if the company is trying to sell this as a new thing, but it would be a shame if so. Oh yeah right, and "the Japanese are only good at copying American ideas."

TMC

[colin1256]

In sevreal european countries including Germany, The Netherlands and I believe also Austria, newer GPS-Travelpilot systems (2yrs+) are compatible with a system called TMC.
It is based on, regional radio stations broadcasting a stream of digital data along with their regular audio programme. You don't hear it (just like you don't lear the RDS station identifier code) and you don't need to subscribe to anything either.

The travelpilot is interfaced with your car stereo and reads the TMC sigal out of the incoming radio broadcasts, even if you are currently tuned to a different station or listening to CD/Tape/MP3/MD or have your radio turned off. This data is then interpreted by the travelpilot to guide you around closed roads or congested areas without you having to actively do anything. However most systems will inform you that there is a traffic jam ahead and that it is guiding you around it.

It also works when the travelpilot is in Map-mode (no guidance, just display a map of where you are). My Blaupunkt TravelPilot shows me a map of the area I'm driving in. If it sees a gongested area near me it will highlight it on the map so I can avoid it by myself.

The only downside is that presently, radio-stations don't always do a perfect job at keeping their data up-to-date...

Re:Mostly Worthless?

[ltkije]

This falls under the rubric of "telematics." There are good reasons why we get odd little devices in the United States while Europe is headed straight toward nav/traffic/routing convergence.

Boiled down to the two most important points: the business model in the States is subscription-based - OnStar is the grandaddy, and it's not making money. Second, Europe has public broadcasts of traffic information to a continental standard, while in the good ol' USA, proprietary protocols rule and the FCC is spineless.

So until USDOT and its state counterparts get the gumption to propose a public alternative to the private General Motors model, expect slow progress.