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"

[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.

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?

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.