How does Google Maps work ?

Tiexen

bob_a_builder wrote: »

Google owns the Waze app too

Its another navigation app but includes a feature where real people give real time feedback about whats happening in front of them, so gives them more date to feed into the navigation mix

Google maps has also now started to introduce the human feedback option too via the "Add a Report" function ( press the up arrow at bottom of screen when navigating )
You can inform about Crash, Mobile Camera,Congestion,Roadworks etc etc

I use Waze - often get warning of pot holes ahead, cars stopped on motorway etc - also when in traffic you can see how far ahead it stretches - very useful

bengalknights

2 Ways they do it

Using your GPS and Mobile signal to determine speed in the area versus other users on same road and also the old fashioned way of reports submitted via Waze Users (Google and Waze share data)

virgo17

Tiexen wrote: »

I use Waze - often get warning of pot holes ahead, cars stopped on motorway etc - also when in traffic you can see how far ahead it stretches - very useful

I use Waze too. Also owned by Google so some data is shared with Maps.

akira181

molerat wrote: »

The systems are not all that smart though. There is a local B route which used to be "locals only". Sat navs routed along the A roads but as devices advanced all the in the know local's data showed that the B route was quicker. Now it routes busses and lorries along this totally unsuitable route, nothing quite like seeing the terror in the eyes of a foreign tourist not used to single track roads.

End of the day, a Sat Nav is just a driving aid like a paper road map. It's not going to drive the car for you, so if it's telling you to drive into a field or a river or any unsuitable road, it's your fault for blindly following an inanimate gadget and not your common sense as the driver. Unfortunately, there's more of them on the road than you'd think.

When you use any of Google's location services, it’ll request that you send non-personally identifiable data to improve their location services in exchange. It’s one of the first things it asks when you’re setting up your Android phone.

It’ll take note of your location data, figure out you’ve covered too much distance between data pings to be travelling by foot and likely in a vehicle, and then it can calculate your speed. With enough users submitting data, they can reasonably estimate traffic conditions. It’s a common practice and a lot of GPS companies share the data. I think Waze used to (or still do) use user data to map new roads as well.

Very useful for avoiding traffic but it’s not always accurate as the location data isn’t accurate enough for it to know the lanes. During rush hour on my way home, there’s a section of motorway that’s always predicted as heavy traffic and red for miles. But it’s usually the left 2 lanes filtering into an exit that merges to one lane that’s blocking everything. The third lane is usually flowing pretty well unless some self-important d***head is trying to skip the queue and cut in.

Uxb1

Waze also seems very "aggressive" in its directions - if it thinks you might be able to save 1 minute then it re-directs you.
As one example
If there is a right turn coming up shortly and before that there is a minor road that takes the corner off then it will quite often direct you down it.
Now I know full well that this short cut is only viable if you do not meet anyone on it as its mostly single track, and as its single twisting track, so no, you cannot do 50 mph on it - why it chooses this short cut...who knows...

Another long distance route I take waze always wants me to use the Motorways at 200 miles rather than direct 160 miles 'cos its faster - supposedly. It is not faster, I know, I've tried it to prove to myself what I already knew yet still it wants me to use the motorways every time no matter what day or time. Which I suppose is fine as the more people that obey Waze rather than use the direct route which only has one junction hop on hop off on a different motorway that it should be using is all better for me as there is less traffic on it!

DoaM

I could never get to grips with Waze - didn't really like it, and it's Android Auto integration was flaky (for me at least).

Google Maps seems to learn my regular journeys and will direct me down my regular routes, even if an alternative may seem to be 1 minute faster for example.

Neil_Jones

akira181 wrote: »

End of the day, a Sat Nav is just a driving aid like a paper road map. It's not going to drive the car for you, so if it's telling you to drive into a field or a river or any unsuitable road, it's your fault for blindly following an inanimate gadget and not your common sense as the driver. Unfortunately, there's more of them on the road than you'd think.

There was a time where if you used Google Maps and tried to plot a route from the UK to anywhere in America, it would suggest you make your way to the coast, literally swim across the North Atlantic sea, come up on a coast somewhere and carry on regardless.

Fortunately there are no stories (AFAIK anyway) about people driving their cars into the sea because Google told them to.

RumRat

Uxb1 wrote: »

Another long distance route I take waze always wants me to use the Motorways at 200 miles rather than direct 160 miles 'cos its faster - supposedly. It is not faster, I know, I've tried it to prove to myself what I already knew yet still it wants me to use the motorways every time no matter what day or time. Which I suppose is fine as the more people that obey Waze rather than use the direct route which only has one junction hop on hop off on a different motorway that it should be using is all better for me as there is less traffic on it!

Have you tried implementing the 'Avoid Motorways' option?

DoaM wrote: »

I could never get to grips with Waze - didn't really like it, and it's Android Auto integration was flaky (for me at least).
Google Maps seems to learn my regular journeys and will direct me down my regular routes, even if an alternative may seem to be 1 minute faster for example.

Android Auto has recently been updated and improved....Might be worth a try again?

Personally I use the built in SatNav in the car these days. My alternative was always Waze, but Google has now taken that spot with the recent improvements.

akira181

Neil_Jones wrote: »

There was a time where if you used Google Maps and tried to plot a route from the UK to anywhere in America, it would suggest you make your way to the coast, literally swim across the North Atlantic sea, come up on a coast somewhere and carry on regardless.

Fortunately there are no stories (AFAIK anyway) about people driving their cars into the sea because Google told them to.

I remember seeing a Google maps route between some islands in East Asia where the directions between the islands literally said Jet Ski 16 minutes. Wonder if I can find it again.

Unfortunately there's always a tabloid story of some idiot blindly following a sat nav. Last 3 I remember were a coach drove into a corn field, an old couple drove up a hiking path towards a cliff (not off it but dangerously close), and someone got stranded on a ski slope.