Google Maps has added a particularly nifty function to its mobile service – a “traffic” button. The addition monitors traffic in your area in real time, and can advise you when it is best to take a different route. And much like the extremely similar service announced by Verizon in mid-July, it will gather the traffic data it needs from GPS-enabled devices. From you, in other words.
How does it work?
Google Maps for mobile has a function called My Location. This allows Google to see not only where you are, but what direction you’re headed in, and how fast you’re moving. So if Google Maps sees that a large number of people are moving very slowly on the same road, it will infer a traffic choke-point and advise other users on which alternate routes they should take. Simply hitting the “traffic” button will give you both the directions you need, and the best route to take with traffic taken into account.
And to stem off another burst of paranoia like the one caused by Latitude, Google is taking steps to make sure people know this is voluntary. My Location is automatically enabled on most phones it’s on, but Google has provided the information you need to turn it off.
How is it different from the Verizon service?
It’s worth comparing the Google traffic service to the one from Verizon, just to see the difference in behaviour between an operator and a service provider.
What we think?
Google and Verizon are both gathering information from the same services and processing it through the same company. The big difference is that while Google plays a bit nicer, Verizon will almost certainly be more effect. The service from Google is a pretty nice little VAS for Google users… but AirSage is the real company to watch here. It’s providing the data crunching and reporting for both of the larger companies. The Verizon emplacement is huge, and the Google one is popularly branded.
