Google Maps helps users navigate by providing information about traffic jams. These days, many drivers frequently open the app to check potential routes, avoiding sections that appear yellow or red on Google Maps as much as possible. This information, collected by aggregating data from users currently on the road who are using the app, lets users know what current traffic conditions are like.
However, Google also selects routes by predicting future traffic patterns. Essentially, a few years before AI became a marketing term, Google Maps was already leveraging AI technology to predict traffic in a sophisticated way, using a process combining current conditions and historical data.
Most of the time, traffic follows predictable patterns. Consider a popular travel route. There are probably times of day when it is consistently more crowded than others. But outliers can disrupt these typical patterns. In the event of an accident, drivers may take alternate routes, resulting in traffic patterns that do not conform to expectations. This is why Google Maps cannot rely solely on historical data to make traffic forecasts. The app uses AI to analyze both current information and overall trends trying to ensure accuracy.
Waze predicts ETAs using a method similar to that used by Google Maps
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Of course, Google Maps isn’t the only navigation app available to motorists. Waze is another example of an app that analyzes both historical and real-time data to provide users with ETAs. When predicting how long it will take a user to reach a particular destination, Waze also takes into account details such as the type of vehicle a user drives to optimize its reporting.
For example, a traffic jam typically blocks most motorists, all of whom are traveling at essentially the same speed as each other. However, a user may be driving a motorcycle. In this case, they might be able to weave through traffic at a speed that other motorists on the road cannot achieve under current traffic conditions. Waze takes this into account when summarizing the data.
No matter which navigation app you prefer, learning how it works can help you maximize its usefulness. If you are a Google Maps enthusiast, you may want to familiarize yourself with the “hidden” features of Google Maps that you may not be aware of. Be careful, Google Maps often releases new features, so even if you think you know it well, there may be updates that you haven’t yet explored. But even if you only use the most basic features, as technology improves, its accuracy is likely to improve as well.
