Tuesday, October 13. 2009

Podcast: Google Maps Changes US Base Data, Adds Parcels and Crowdsourcing

This past week Google prompted a flurry of discussion by announcing some changes to its data and functionality in Google Maps. There’s new data and new feedback tools and some anxiety in the geospatial world. Our editors separate fact from fiction and offer our take on the implications of these changes.

Posted by Adena Schutzberg in Google, Open Source, Databases, Traffic, Directions on the News Podcast, Geospatial Business, Tele Atlas, NAVTEQ at 01:00 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) |

Tuesday, September 15. 2009

How few cell phones are needed to track traffic?

"Results suggest that a 2-3% penetration of cell phones in the driver population is enough to provide accurate measurements of
the velocity of the traffic flow."

That's just one conclusion of a study titled Evaluation of Traffic Data Obtained via GPS-enabled Mobile Phones: the Mobile Century field experiment (pdf) from UC Berkeley's Institute for Transportation Studies.

- via Docuticker

Posted by Adena Schutzberg in Traffic at 06:16 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0) |

Thursday, August 6. 2009

Impact of Real Time Routing: More Traffic

Reader Kevin points out the latest from the Freakonics blog:

Two physicists and a computer scientist used Google maps to study traffic in Boston, London, and New York, and found that when people use real-time driving maps to try to pick the fastest routes, traffic slows down. Their solution: close a few roads so drivers have fewer options.

Posted by Adena Schutzberg in Traffic, Satellite Navigation at 06:47 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) |

Wednesday, July 1. 2009

Waze: Dash Reincarnate for Android?

Update: Now it's in open beta for Android across the U.S.

- SV/SJ Business Journal

Posted by Adena Schutzberg in Google, Traffic, Satellite Navigation at 05:42 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) |

Tuesday, June 30. 2009

NAVTEQ's Mobile Traffic App Update

You may have missed yesterday's press release from NAVTEQ noting an update to its traffic information app for mobile phones (any with a browser) for free. There are, per C|net some unobtrusive ads, and the navigation is "interesting." The "east" and "west" links to slide the map one way or the other, are not in their typical orientation.

It's hard to imagine that users really want one app for finding directions or local services and another for traffic information. I'm hopeful this is simply a way to get the word out that this sort of functionality (and detail) should be embedded in other apps, a la "Intel Inside," though NAVTEQ uses "NAVTEQ onboard."

Posted by Adena Schutzberg in LBS, Traffic, NAVTEQ at 06:47 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) |

Friday, June 5. 2009

Research In Motion acquires Dash Navigation

I first saw the report of the acquisition on GPS Business News (subscription required, but I want to give them credit!); now it's well confirmed. No terms of the deal were shared.

TechCrunch reports "RIM refused to comment on how Dash will be incorporated into its business but it’s safe to assume that the company will use Dash’s technology to upgrade the GPS in their devices in some capacity." The article goes on to report that RIM might be able to do good things with the platform, considering how many people currently carry Blackberries.

Twice notes some other entries into the "traffic probe" space: Waze and Aha Mobile.

Many, including this InformationWeek blog are suggesting the acquisition is like that of NAVTEQ by Nokia. While I agree it'll help in the nav space, it's really not the same sort of acquisition at all in my book.

Posted by Adena Schutzberg in Traffic, Satellite Navigation, Geospatial Business at 05:33 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0) |