Accidents, construction, and other traffic incidents So even though a cheeky scooter might be able to weave its way through a traffic jam, Google Maps could-in some cases-recognise that the smaller vehicle’s movement doesn’t necessarily mean that regular traffic conditions have resumed. Google Maps can tell the difference between a car, motorcycle, and other vehicles (at least in certain countries and regions). Interestingly, not all vehicles are treated equally. How long a vehicle must be idling before it’s ignored is unclear obviously, Google Maps will notice if several users are stopped on a highway and report it as a slow down, but if a bunch of people are parked in a parking garage and just happen to have navigation mode on, then you probably won’t see any traffic jams listed in the area. Weckert’s wagon had to be moving in order for Google Maps to see the traffic jam-even though nearly 100 phones were in navigation mode and not moving. That said, it appears that Google Maps ignores when lots of users are at a standstill. It’s unclear how many slower-than-usual users are necessary for Google Maps to register it as slow traffic, but according to 9to5Google’s report on Weckert’s traffic jam experiment, it only took a single car driving past him at normals speeds to undo the traffic jam status caused by his wagon of iPhones. However, once other divers using Google Maps are able to get through the area at normal speeds, Google will remove the slow down status for that area-even if other users are still driving slower. Slowdowns show up when users in navigation mode are currently travelling at slower-than-usual speeds on that part of the road and are applied by Google automatically. Green roads mean traffic is moving normally, but orange and red represent slowdowns. If you’ve ever used Google Maps, you’ve likely seen streets coloured green, orange, or red. Google Maps continually refreshes based on anonymously tracked user data, traffic sensors, and satellite data to make sure the app is displaying the most accurate traffic conditions possible. If it’s possible to fool Google Maps with a pile of old iPhones and a wagon, can you always be certain the app is accurate? Based on what we know about Google Map’s algorithm and the company’s responses to Weckert’s DIY traffic jam, the answer appears to be: yes, for the most part. It’s a clever trick, but it raises questions as to how Google Maps tracks and responds to the data it collects in normal traffic conditions. Berlin artist Simon Weckert recently “hacked” Google Maps by filling a red wagon with 99 iPhone running Google Maps and dragging around the city to fool the service into thinking there was a traffic jam when there wasn’t one.
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