Google Inc. is known for its advanced and out of the box technology. Recently, Google has taken it to next level by introducing Real-time traffic prediction on Google Maps. The feature is satisfactorily accurate. It's not just about predicting the current traffic behavior, but it also tells us how the traffic is going to behave in next few hours. Also, it tells you about the shortest route to your destination. Isn't that astonishing? Doesn't this wonder you? What makes this technology so accurate?
The technology works on what they call crowdsourcing. In short, it is a user-based technology. Google takes the data for traffic mapping from users' mobiles and compile them to make the result appear on the Google Maps.
How did it start?
In 2004, Google Inc. acquired ZipDash (a company specialized in realtime traffic analysis). Google integrated the company's technology into Google Maps and came up with real-time traffic information. With time, it only got better and better.
What are the features as of now?
Currently, Google Maps can give you directions to your destination with estimated time, which is calculated on the basis of traffic pattern on the way. It also suggests an alternate and better route of reaching the destination. It can even tell you if there is a marathon happening on the road, if there is an accident happened and if there is any construction going on the road which is causing blockage or diversion. It can also predict traffic patterns and behavior for future.
How does it work?
Google collects location-data from mobile phone users across the world, processes it and then shows the result on the map. The data is collected by various means which includes data from phones, local highway authorities and network-based database. If you are an android user and if your GPS is turned on, then Google might have access to it. If you have opted in for sending the geolocation based data to Google, then you are a part of this giant technology. Non-android users send their data to Google either by maps applications or by network means.
Google then processes the whole data. It is a complicated process where Google uses some algorithm so as to exclude anomalies. Anomalies include frequent stops by a postman, large number of people sitting in a bus and so on. The output from the process appears on Google Maps. Whenever it reaches threshold limit, it changes color. Green/blue means there is no accumulation of traffic, yellow means there is a slight accumulation of traffic and red means there is a heavy traffic jam on the road.
This feature can even tell if there is a marathon happening on the road. Experts state the technology behind it as "Google detects that a large number of mobile phones are congested and running slower than the normal traffic, but at a uniform speed which omits the chances of being it a traffic jam. Further, all of them are having the same starting point and the destination."
Privacy concerns?
You might have been unaware about the data you were sending to Google Inc. and hence, it raises a valid question of privacy violation. Officials from Google clarifies it as "Firstly, user can always opt out of sending location data to Google in settings. Secondly, Google doesn't receive the data as an individual, but as a whole which means that you are not recognized as a person, but as a part of the whole community who is contributing in building a database. Further, Google omits the first and the last parts of user's route in order to hide their identity."
Google Maps has become so good in times that people have actually started to believe it. Google officials are saying that more number of people are taking the routes suggested by Google Maps and it encourages them to make it even better.