UKH

So I use google maps on my phone as sat nav.

What it does it show the traffic on your route by colour coding - red is stand still, amber is going slow etc

What I can't work out is how it does this so accurately? How does it know the traffic on an A road?

In reply to iusedtoclimb:

Its a technology from Israeli company Waze
https://support.google.com/waze/answer/6078702?hl=en

your smart phone like it or not tells google where you are all the time and it uses this data from everyone to know what the traffic is like. (big brother is watching you

Its an not perfect (wont tell you when a motorway is closed overnight) but while there is lots of traffic about it's the best mapping application i've ever used and one of the most practical AI / Machine learning projects today.

If you like Google maps download the Waze app and get to play with all the cool new features first.

In reply to iusedtoclimb:

As James said, the google service on your phone tracks your location. Hence why your phone/ google often asks for your location information if you have turned it off.

I wake up every morning with a notification about current traffic conditions. Especially useful for me however, as I walk to work ^_-

http://mentalfloss.com/article/92958/how-does-google-maps-know-where-traffi...

In reply to GarethSL:

The same way that if you look at a business location like a pub or a supermarket in Google, it will tell you whether the place is currently busy or not, and when the busy time periods are. It does this by aggregating all the Smartphones going in and out of those locations.

In reply to james wardle:

Does Google not receive data on road closures? I use Apple Maps which must work on the same principle, as it's occasionally got traffic updates on some B roads local to me. I definitely have planned and emergency road closures beamed in to my phone though, a wall collapsed on an undesignated road just down from my house and it's on there while the council rebuild it!

In reply to mrphilipoldham:

Google Maps seems to get data on long term road closures but not overnight roadworks closures. which is annoying when i (often) try to head home from work down the M3 at 2AM and i guess no or almost no traffic on the road is normal for that time of day which is why the algorithm does not spot it.

In reply to iusedtoclimb:

It used to do this only using the trafficmaster cameras (those thing you see on poles and bridges). But I think others are right, they are pulling info not just from Waze but also general google maps users.

The same way, when you google a shop you can see how busy it is, but Google now gives a "Live" status as well based on how many people are checking in at that location.