Google Maps now helps users beat traffic jams Washington (AFP) March 7, 2011 Google upgraded its popular Google Maps on Monday to suggest faster routes to drivers based on real-time traffic conditions. Google Maps Navigation, released in beta, or test mode, shows various routes along with estimated travel times and uses red, green and yellow color-coding to show how traffic is moving at any given time. "Before today, Navigation would choose whichever route was fastest, without taking current traffic conditions into account," Roy Williams, a software engineer with the Google Maps team, said in a blog post. "It would also generate additional alternate directions, such as the shortest route or one that uses highways instead of side roads." But from now on, "our routing algorithms will also apply our knowledge of current and historical traffic to select the fastest route from those alternates," he said. "Navigation will automatically guide you along the best route given the current traffic conditions." The new feature can be used in North America and Europe where both Google Maps Navigation and real-time traffic data are available, Google said.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links GPS Applications, Technology and Suppliers
N. Korea jammed S. Korea GPS devices: report Seoul (AFP) March 6, 2011 North Korea used jamming equipment to block South Korean military communication devices last week, a report said Sunday, amid high tension over the joint drills between Seoul and Washington. Yonhap news agency said strong jamming signals sent across the border on Friday had caused minor disruptions to phones and navigational devices using GPS (Global Positioning System) at military units ne ... read more |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |