GPS-STI: GPS with static traffic info


Idea: Garmin, and most other companies selling GPS devices offer traffic receivers. They come in pretty handy because they avoid traffic tie-ups by adding a traffic receiver and traffic services to your compatible GPS device. Your GPS navigator uses traffic information to minimize traffic delays on your route. The only catch here is you got to pay big bucks for this dynamic content. I claim that the amount of traffic content you really need to base your decision upon is not really dynamic. Not only that, but in case of a really dynamic event, even traffic receivers might not do the best job. So, how about storing last year's average (hour-by-hour, every 15 minutes) traffic information along with the maps on your GPS device. Using this static information, your GPS can make intelligent choices for you, and guess what you don't have to worry about your traffic receiver malfunctioning or paying for the dynamic content which you really don't need.

Reward: Since the information is static, software can do significantly better job (TSP?) at finding you the best route for the hour.

Bonus: You could also study last 5 (or 10) years traffic data and make traffic predictions. Also, based on this static information, you can avoid paths with higher statistics on accidents in certain season.

4 comments:

wizkid said...

well the idea doesnt seem to be good because in a country like INDIA where road keep changing its way litreally every second day or a road is dug up 4 some or the other development cum money wasting work these kinds of data collection seems 2 be a mere waste...although it may be usefull 4 nation highways but then d whole idea of a gps is defeated

Anonymous said...

Well, GPS itself is not a viable solution in India. Is it? GPS-STI is supposed to improve on GPS (replacing traffic receiver with static traffic information). IMHO, you could travel anywhere to anywhere in India w/o GPS just by asking people on the street. Many of us have done it in past, successfully.

Meenakshi said...

GPS is a dynamic device. Adding static content to it, seems a little out of place.

Anonymous said...

well said anand, i totally agree with you :)