eli5 – How do applications like Google Maps and Apple Maps know when there is a traffic jam? Where does the information come from?
In: Technology
Most people have phones with location sharing enabled. They can tell what traffic is like based on how many phones are on the road and how fast they are moving. This works especially well for highways.
They also have a lot of historical data to work with and a lot of mathematical models that show how traffic usually forms and how long it tends to last based on the roads and the number of people caught in traffic. This gives them the ability to make some general predictions about how much the traffic may slow you down.
Of course it isn’t perfect! Sometimes traffic is caused by an accident and no model can predict that an accident will occur or guess how long it will take to clear the road and get people moving again. There are many factors that can cause the algorithm to guess wrong and take a longer path sometimes. That’s why some people prefer to use their own intuition and sense of direction instead of a map app.
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