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Gov App Detects Potholes As Your Drive Over Them
An anonymous reader writes "The City of Boston has released an app that uses the accelerometer in your smartphone to automatically report bumps in the road as you drive over them. From the article: 'The application relies on two components embedded in iPhones, Android phones, and many other mobile devices: the accelerometer and the Global Positioning System receiver. The accelerometer, which determines the direction and acceleration of a phone’s movement, can be harnessed to identify when a phone resting on a dashboard or in a cupholder in a moving car has hit a bump; the GPS receiver can determine by satellite just where that bump is located.' I am certain that this will not be used to track your movements, unless they are vertical."
and how does it differentiate between potholes and, say, old people?
Yes... this is probably really about detecting people texting while driving.
If you have the app on your phone, and you pick your phone up while moving to start typing your text message, the phone will detect you have lifted it while driving; and immediately use satellite/GPS to determine your position, transmit the alert to the local authorities together with your phone's front-facing camera output.
As police are homing in on your position, the facial recognition software will match your face and alert them to the make and model of your car, and they'll bust the driver for texting
Oh noess.. the phone was upside down.. Now the government thinks I ran over old people.
Think about that.. seriously.