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Improving GPS Systems with Traffic Flow Data

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the turn-left-at-the-gridlock dept.

An anonymous reader writes "According to a story in Technology Review, some GPS companies are factoring in traffic flow and time of day. From the article: 'Tele Atlas, a Boston-based company that provides digital maps and navigational content, has integrated new trafficking software into its map database so that drivers can find the most optimal route based on speed rather than distance — for any stretch of road at any hour of any day of the week.'"

7 of 82 comments (clear)

  1. I know i posted already... But! by TinBromide · · Score: 2, Informative

    For those of you who want to check traffic before you leave, usually a state's highway patrol will list accidents and obstructions. I have this site bookmarked and check it before i drive anywhere long distance. http://www.fhp.state.fl.us/traffic/ Look for ones in your state.

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    1. Re:I know i posted already... But! by Fry-kun · · Score: 3, Informative

      California (rather, Bay Area) has a very nice service: 511
      You can dial "511" from any cellphone and you'll get a voice-guided helper - you tell it which major road you're taking (or choose origin/destination) and it tells you how long it would probably take and if there are any slowdowns along the way.

      I use it every time I get into bad traffic - that way I know when I need to just wait a few minutes to clear it or take local roads to get around it, instead.

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  2. Re:Real time? by gorrepati · · Score: 2, Informative

    On a related note, Google now has option for tracking realtime data, without entering the location into the mobile. http://www.google.com/gmm/gps.html?utm_source=en-e t-maps&utm_medium=et&utm_source=gpspromo

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  3. Re:Google maps by Rodness · · Score: 2, Informative

    My 2007 BMW 3series with iDrive navigation package does exactly that.

    The navigation system receives real-time traffic info, and will actively alert me if my planned route has traffic and (depending on whether I have it set for a dynamic route) either automagically alter the route around the jam, or offer me the option of doing so.

    If I'm not following a planned route, it will still place traffic alerts on the map to indicate accidents, congestion, severity of congestion, lane closures, etc... and it also offers detailed information about these advisories (where, when, etc).

    It's come in extremely handy on many occasions, seeing as I live in Southern California.

  4. Tele Atlas is not Boston based company by ivano · · Score: 3, Informative
    It's listed on the Dutch stock exchange and its main office is in Ghent, Belgium, Europe. They have an office in Boston but most of the developers and infrastructure for the US is done in Lebanon, NH.

    I kinda wonder how much research was done on the article if they can't get even the simple stuff right. What's next, "Microsoft, a Silicon Valley company, is launching its new operating system..."

  5. Stating the obvious by evilduckie · · Score: 2, Informative

    GPS is not the same as (in-car) navigation. "GPS" is purely a positioning system. You can use it to figure out where you are. A navigation system (like TomTom) uses the GPS position along with a digital map to determine where you are and calculate the quickest/shortest route to a given destination.

  6. Re:Google maps by leenks · · Score: 2, Informative

    Or without the TMC antenna, and using an internet connected over bluetooth (eg GPRS, GSM dialup, etc). In the UK, the TMC antenna is a non-functioning piece of junk (the antenna is the wrong length for the frequency range it tries to pick up, and the channel transmitting the required RDS information, Classic FM, often isn't on powerful enough transmitters for it to work properly). On a typical 4 hour motorway run from Cheltenham to Newcastle, I got about 40 minutes of TMC coverage.

    The maps have also had some form of speed information in them for ages (eg on a 70mph motorway it will assume 60mph etc, on some it knows there are usually "temporary" 50mph limits in force and warns you), and you can plan a route based on whether it is shortest, fastest etc. It will also calculate estimated time of arrival based on this.