I’ve always wanted a navigation system in the car that uses Google Maps and it seems this is going to happen very soon since the 2011 Audi A8 will be the first production car to include Google Earth. What I would also like to see one day in the future is real time updated maps. Imagine Google Maps with real time updates while you’re stuck in a traffic jam. You could just zoom in to the area in front of you and see what’s causing the traffic or even better you could check the traffic on the roads before you leave the house.
Actually, I just realized, you don’t need real time updated Google Maps, why don’t we have video cameras or still cameras along major roads which people can access and check online? Something like [This] and also the picture above. The technology has been around for some time now and shouldn’t be too difficult to implement here in Kuwait. Can we please get live traffic cams? Pretty please??
16 replies on “Google Maps in the car”
Some contractor might dupe the Government for another few millions and then in the end we’ll have another non-functioning system and in 2018, a message on the GPS system in the car: “Please do not overspeed, maximum speed 120kmph – MOI”.
arab goverments would probably think such traffic monitoring systems could be used for assassination attempts; seeing a motorcade pass and having an IED parked on the side of the road.
mark ..
why not just a normal decent gps with traffic jams option ?
https://www.tomtom.com/services/service.php?id=9
coz basically what you talking about is availably in HD these days ..
https://www.tomtom.com/services/service.php?id=2
well yeah that would work, my car has that option now except for the fact there is no traffic broadcast so my car’s navigation doesnt know if there is a jam or not on a road. its something the needs to be broadcast-ed or else the navigation devices wont know.
i wish something that i can do so that every one dont get a big big big headek every morning and weekends .
Mark, that google maps system doesn’t use satellite for real time traffic pictures. It uses traffic cameras. I have it on my andriod phone, and can watch live roads from North America and Most of Europe. You can now buy an andriod gps systems that you can mount in any car with the exact same software that will be on the Audi.
I know the traffic thing I was talking about is somethif else
In Europe most good satnav systems will warn you of traffic hold ups ahead and give you an alternative route. If your radio has a traffic signal then that will also interrupt your programmes with local radio traffic updates. Between those two it works pretty well.
if it’s anything like google maps then we (middle east) won’t be able to even get directions.
Go to maps.google.com and try to get the directions between 2 spots.
That’s really cool. Funny thing is, we already have most roads covered with MOI cameras. Why not use them to show traffic jam? Or actually, why not use them for once! Is anyone really checking those cams?
Google has been found wrong on many routes and so have the other GPS systems that use maps like Whereis, etc. I have got lost on dirt roads when relying on GPS (Not in Kuwait). With the US delay in sending new satellites to replace the ageing ones since 3 years, I wonder if there will be a systematic GPS failure worldwide next year.
Once you know the routes, a GPS is very useful for school zones, red light cameras and live traffic updates.
Mark,
Kuwait traffic Department already uses cams but the videos are only transmitted to the Traffic Cotroll Room in the main traffic building (العاصمه
FYI makes an interesting point
Every automaker realizes the importance of tying in internet capable services to their cars nowadays. BMW was the first to offer an official web browser in it’s newest 7-Series, giving the driver access to real-time information when needed.
Audi has just raised the bar with this. If you think of it, it’s also a way at making navigation technology somewhat cheaper for the end user since this is already a fully operating platform which is available as a plug-in, pretty much.
i asked the some people that work with the motorcades, FYI said the exact same thing.
Mark, here in the US (also in some other countries in Europe and elsewhere), Google Maps does have real-time traffic conditions as well as traffic forecast. It also uses the location of people’s Google equipped cellphones for traffic updates.
https://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2008/04/google-maps-predicts-traffic-conditions.html