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Yahoo! Maps to Support Realtime Traffic

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the you-could-also-just-look-out-the-car-window dept.

squidfrog writes "Yahoo is set to support realtime traffic overlays for its existing Yahoo! Maps program. 'Yahoo's dynamic maps draw on real-time traffic information from metropolitan transportation departments and private providers, including embedded road sensors, traffic cameras, police scanners, and traffic helicopters. Yahoo declined to identify the exact sources of its traffic data... Roadways are colored green, yellow and red, to highlight the normal movement of traffic, minor delays or severe road congestion. A user can hover over a stretch of road to view details of impediments.'"

5 of 208 comments (clear)

  1. This is great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Now if only they can get the maps right!

  2. Fix Yahoo! Maps First by phalse+phace · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Maybe Yahoo! should fix their mapping software first. Whenever I use them to find out how to get from point A to point B, they always seem to give me directions with a longer route rather than the shortest one. Same thing with Mapquest.

  3. Why not show public transportation routes? by RyanMuldoon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Instead of just showing road traffic and only offering driving directions, Yahoo could make using public transportation easier by offering directions using buses, subways, and commuter rails as an option. It would allow people to use public transportation without having to spend a lot of time figuring out all the different bus routes and schedules. Maybe it would reduce the traffic a bit.

  4. Re:Great... by TheAntiCrust · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So it would be more humane to ignore an accident and drive by it like nothing happened? People have been seriously injured and even possibly killed and the most you can say about it is that you are annoyed it adds five minutes to your commute? Inhumane indeed.

    Not to support the rubber neckers or nothin'.

  5. Re:declined because...? by Animats · · Score: 2, Insightful
    CALTRANS has both cameras and sensor loops in the road, for most freeways in the SF and LA areas. When the sensor loops detect a discontinuity in traffic flow (usually a slow area with high vehicle density followed by a fast area with low vehicle density) they connect to the appropriate camera and take a look.

    You need both. Without sensor loops, there's too much camera data for anybody to watch, and without cameras, the control center can't see what the problem is. They can usually tell if an incident requires a fire truck or tow truck, and dispatch those sooner.

    Aggressive accident clearance is roughly equivalent to adding one lane, but far cheaper.