There seems to be no end to Google Maps, with innovating ideas being thought up all the time. However, in some cases the technology needs a helping hand from third-party services, such as Inrix. It seems that they have been approached by Google to supply real-time traffic updating for their popular map service. This is an amazing opportunity for Inrix, who has only recently received a $37 million investment from Kleiner Perkins as well as August Capital.
Google Maps offers a far more superior service than the below-par option that iOS devices has, and this latest move will certainly make Android fans wind their friends up who currently has an iPhone. However, we are uncertain as to what updates iOS 5 will offer once it gets released next month — we should learn more during the iPhone event next Tuesday
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The real-time service that will soon be part of Google Maps is all thanks to information that is gathered from various sources, such as taxis, cars, delivery vehicles etc, as reported by TechCrunch. This data is not only available to those in the U.S. but also those in certain areas of Europe as well; the service is available to 22 countries in all and has a reach of more than 100 million users.
There are a number of services that would have been accessible to Google, but it is due to the accuracy of down to 5mph that must have made Google’s mind up for them that Inrix was the service for them. Although this is a big deal for the real-time traffic data company, its not all-good news, as Google will also gather information from other sources as well.
It makes sense to do this, as you should never rely on just one source for traffic updating, because if that service goes wrong then millions of Android users will be left with no real-time traffic reports for the Google Maps app.
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