Google Traffic
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Type of site
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Web mapping |
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| Available in | Multilingual |
| Owner | |
| Website | maps |
| Registration | No |
| Launched | February 28, 2007 |
| Current status | Active |
Google Traffic is a feature on Google Maps that displays traffic conditions in real time on major roads and highways. Google Traffic can be viewed at the Google Maps website, or by using the Google Maps application on a handheld device.
Google Traffic works by analyzing the GPS-determined locations transmitted to Google by a large number of mobile phone users. By calculating the speed of users along a length of road, Google is able to generate a live traffic map. Google processes the incoming raw data about mobile phone device locations, and then excludes anomalies such as a postal vehicle that makes frequent stops. When a threshold of users in a particular area is noted, the overlay along roads and highways on the Google map changes color.
Early versions of Google Maps provided information to users about how long it would take to travel a particular road in heavy traffic conditions. Traffic information was based on historical traffic data and was not particularly accurate.
In 2004 Google acquired ZipDash, a company specializing on realtime traffic analysis. In 2007, Google integrated ZipDash's technology into Google Maps, offering traffic data based on information gathered anonymously from cellular phone users.
Cellular telephone companies constantly monitor the locations of user devices. One tracking method is trilateration, whereby the distance (time delay) to three or more surrounding cell phone towers is measured. Another tracking method monitors the exact user coordinates determined by a GPS receiver inside the phone. GPS-equipped cellphones began appearing in 2004, and by 2011, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission required that all new cellular phones be able to pinpoint location to within 50 feet.
Soliciting electronic information from a large group of people this way is referred to as crowd-sourcing.
Google stated: "When we combine your speed with the speed of other phones on the road, across thousands of phones moving around a city at any given time, we can get a pretty good picture of live traffic conditions".
Google Traffic is available by selecting "Traffic" from a drop-down menu on Google Maps. A colored overlay appears on top of major roads and motorways, with green representing a normal speed of traffic, yellow representing slower traffic conditions, red indicating congestion, and dark red (previously red and black) indicates nearly stopped or stop and go traffic. Grey indicates there is no data available.
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Wikipedia