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Seems like Google (etc.) could add a "avoid roads that aren't well-traveled" feature with the data they already have. The data they use to figure out whether t
by adrianmonk 7y ago
Seems like Google (etc.) could add a "avoid roads that aren't well-traveled" feature with the data they already have.
The data they use to figure out whether traffic is light or heavy (GPS location, speed, heading, path, etc.) could also be used to figure out whether roads are well-traveled.
And they could even throw in month or season (or weather) as a variable. If the road is well-traveled in the summer but not in the winter, maybe there's a reason.
This could be useful not only for winter but also for other issues like people who are driving an unreliable car or are low on gas (or not good about filling it up).
- nitrogen 7y agoDuring the last major fire season in California the traffic was incredibly slow on the main interstate I was on. Maps suggested a detour on a side highway because nobody was taking it. But it turned out that nobody was taking it because it was literally on fire, so I had to find my way back to the interstate.
- adrianmonk 7y agoThat one is going to be a little trickier to detect! I guess you could do some real time analysis and note that the number of people passing through this or that segment has dropped suspiciously below what it averages for that day of the week, time of day, etc. Which actually might be useful for other types of road closures like construction, so maybe not an unreasonable goal to aim for.
- nitrogen 7y agoIt seems like it would be worth including data from weather and emergency services. Another gripe I have is that it seems like pedestrian data is inadvertently used to determine road speeds in dense urban areas, so a block that is literally gridlocked for an hour will still be recommended by maps.
- RandomBacon 7y agoSame thing in places that flood.