How can Google tell if i’ve travelled by bus, bike or car?

Question

Every month they send me an email with my km covered by each mean of transport. But how does the algorithm tell if i was riding my bike, or in a slow car? How can it distinguish buses from car? Only because buses stop more often, or because there’s more people with Android devices on the bus?

Thanks!

In: 3

Answer 1

I hope a Google engineer chimes in, but my understanding is they compare a few metrics to determine your mode of transportation:

-speed you’re traveling at
-rate of acceleration
-which paths/roads you’re traveling on
-are you generally following “automobile rules” like stop lights, one way streets, etc
-are you generally following “public transportation rules” like following certain predefined routes, stopping often, etc

Between these metrics I bet a computer could predict how you’re traveling 99/100 times!