Microsoft Enhances Traffic Modeling on Live.com

Clearflow, built on artificial intelligence concepts, is set to launch today, per the New York Times. The new modeling, available for 72 U.S. cities is said to better model flow during congestion events on both highways and side streets. The latter, reports the Times, are often assumed to be clear when the highway is packed. Routes suggested by the online service may be counter-intuitive and may suggest staying on a crowded highway.

The technology comes from Microsoft Research which had Microsoft employees voluntarily carry GPS devices to collect data. The system, which uses traffic sensors as base data, can predict congestion based on time of day, weather and other variables like sporting events.

With traffic sites and services a dime a dozen, the trick will be to differentiate this offering. One challenge, per Greg Sterling, it’s complicated: “This is a sophisticated layer of technology that will not be easily understood by the average person.” Sure, that’s true. Microsoft need only convince drivers that it got them to their destination faster that would otherwise be possible, not explain how it works. Alas, knowing how long it would have taken going “the other way” is not easy to calculate.