Google Maps shows real-time information about traffic for many US cities (like
Kansas City,
New York). To see this, switch to the map or hybrid mode and click on the new
traffic tab. Google Maps will add a layer that colors the roads in green, yellow, red, or gray. The colors represent how fast the traffic is moving:
* Green: more than 50 miles per hour
* Yellow: 25 - 50 miles per hour
* Red: less than 25 miles per hour
* Gray: no data available
Until now, this feature was available only in the
mobile client of Google Maps.
Labels: Google Maps
Rg said on February 28, 2007 6:38 AM PDT:
What a strange (and I'd say "poor") implementation in the interface. The "Traffic" button is actually a toggle that you can toggle on/off on any of the other 3 views. Yet they used a button that looks exactly like the other 3.
webboodah said on February 28, 2007 7:05 AM PDT:
I use this feature a lot on my mobile, but it'd be easier to use if the traffic layer didn't hide the street and highway names.
Great!
I've linked you
hereDo you know if (and when) google is going to extend this feature to Europe?!
monikeo said on February 28, 2007 7:52 AM PDT:
I use it all the time too. I agree with the traffic layer hiding the street/fwy names. -Annoying.
I wish it tells me where the accidents are...
!Keith said on February 28, 2007 9:18 AM PDT:
Google is one more step towards the perfect free mapping service. I blogged about Google Maps before and this is one of the most useful feature for users.
http://gspy.blogspot.com/2007/02/why-is-google-maps-special.html
However, I have to admit that the interface is really not that user friendly. If Google can think of a better integration between the traffic data and the existing mapping information, it definitely will change the world again after is famous search function.
Jordan said on February 28, 2007 9:37 AM PDT:
I also would like traffic conditions to affect drive times that it gives.
said on February 28, 2007 10:54 AM PDT:
Yahoo Maps has had this feature for years now. Whats the big deal?
Have there been any changes since the release for mobile devices?
Duniyadnd said on February 28, 2007 11:18 AM PDT:
Doesn't Yahoo! Maps already have a feature like this?
Tosh said on February 28, 2007 11:22 AM PDT:
Yeah I don't get what the big deal is. Yahoo and Live have had this feature for ages. Complete with incidents information and all... Make something more creative please...
I think Yahoo chose the best way to present traffic data (
Mountain View in Yahoo Maps).
They show small circles along the roads so you can see the street names, have details about incidents and "Live traffic" is actually a checkbox, so it doesn't look confusing like in Google Maps.
Like
Microsoft, Yahoo shows details about the colors and the time when the data was updated.
Another cool thing about Yahoo Maps is that it updates the URL, so you don't have to copy the location using different options from the interface.
smart said on February 28, 2007 11:50 AM PDT:
Thank you..for this info
GLMeece said on February 28, 2007 11:52 AM PDT:
They also have a limited deployment for
Austin, TX. I take the
bus most days, but it is still a handy feature. It will be nice when they expand the monitoring a bit more (it looks to be quite spotty at the moment).
This is great! I am sorry but yahoo is very web 1.0 and gross.
I would like to know how fresh the data is. Is there a way to show that?
Also I agree, I want to see the road names with out turning off traffic.
Bravo! Another service done better.
heating said on February 28, 2007 3:24 PM PDT:
If you have looked into solar energy as a method for heating your home, panels are usually the first things that come up.
There are, however, other unique methods.
The Solar Heating Aspect You Have Never Heard of Before
The power of the sun is immense. The energy in one day of sunlight is more than the world needs. The problem, of course,
is how does one harness this power. Solar panels represent the obvious solution, but they have their downside. First,
they can be expensive depending upon your energy needs. Second, they do not exactly blend in with the rest of your home.
Passive solar heating represents a panel free method of harnessing the inherent energy found in the sun for heating
purposes. If you come out from a store and open the door of your car in the summer, you understand the concept of passive
solar heating. A wide variety of material absorbs sunlight and radiates the energy back into the air in the form of heat.
Passive solar heating for a home works the same way as the process which overheats your car in the parking lot.
I usually delete spam comments, but I liked the comment above.
It shows up in Satellite view too.
Skyruner2 said on February 28, 2007 8:27 PM PDT:
Google Mapping Blog said on February 28, 2007 7:33 AM:
Great!
I've linked you here
Do you know if (and when) google is going to extend this feature to Europe?!for the state of NRW in Germany, you can check out: http://www.autobahn.nrw.de/olsim3_1/ruhrgebiet.html
said on February 28, 2007 9:13 PM PDT:
"Yahoo has had this for ages"But yahoo is like add/junk/crap I dont want to see central.
Google is so clean and not busy... plain text ads and what-not.
Go Google! Awesome stuff.
Tobbi said on March 1, 2007 5:16 AM PDT:
Great feature. When will it be available for other countries such as Europe?
Europe is not a country. Google does not even have data for the entire US, so it may take some time.
Matt said on March 20, 2007 10:03 AM PDT:
Now if only the data was correct. Compare Google maps in San Diego,CA with http://dot.ca.gov/sdtraffic Just because maps have color does not mean the data is good.
said on July 27, 2007 2:56 PM PDT:
how real time is this?
Great feature. But...
Should I have google account to use it, or not?
No, you don't need a Google Account. The only purpose of an account is to save personal settings and data. The information about traffic is the same for everyone.
to: Ionut Alex Chitu
Thanks for so quick response :)
said on February 10, 2009 9:16 AM PDT:
How do they get this information? Are they tracking individual vehicles?
Yes, it's good feature for others countries, but not for traffic on Ukrainian Roads :)
