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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.'"

4 of 208 comments (clear)

  1. Seattle has had something like this for ages by breser · · Score: 5, Interesting

    http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle/

    and you can even get it on mobile devices:
    http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle/products/

  2. Just like Simcity 2! by OccidentalSlashy · · Score: 5, Funny

    I hope they tie into emergency services too and show lazily rendered orange flames coming from the windows of any burning buildings.

    Come to think about it, how about a Average Income Overlay while we're at it so I know where to look for cheap girls. Er, for cheap monitors.

    --
    vicious, untreated political sewage...niche entertainment for the spiritually unattractive...worshipless pap
  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. TMC in Europe... nice if this could be here... by cytoman · · Score: 5, Informative
    Apparently, in Europe, there is something called TMC which is a standard for all of Europe. The GPS software there can make use of this to give you additional information on traffic. Below is an excerpt of a review on OnCourse Navigator from http://www.pocketgpsworld.com:

    TMC

    Traffic Message Channel is a pretty successful system in some European countries that transmits current traffic conditions via the RDS (radio data system) components of standard FM radio station broadcasting. Provided with a special GPS receiver (which basically includes a FM radio) users in Europe can let Navigon adjust it's routing decisions based on the incoming TMC messages. In the US the picture is very different. Every metropole has its own traffic messaging system, they are all incompatible, and most of them are not free services anyhow. As a result the OnCourse Navigator program has left out the TMC functionality. If you come over from Europe and use your MN|4 with the maps of OnCourse Navigator then keep in mind that TMC is of no use here.