You Are The Traffic
You wake up on a beautiful Thursday morning, roll out of bed, and stretch like a cat shaking off sleep. You reach for your phone because let’s be real, the day does not really start until you have scrolled a bit, only to realize you have overslept. Panic mode engaged.
You rush to get dressed and head out the door, but now you have a decision to make. Normally, you wake up early enough to secure a parking spot at the station. But today, it is risky. The backup plan is the pricier car park, where you are guaranteed a space. Decisions, decisions. But let’s be honest, the real deciding factor is our best friend, traffic.
You pull up Google Maps and it tells you there is a 14 minute delay to the east. West it is.
What would we do without Uncle Google? But also, how does it even know that? Is there some poor soul at Google HQ whose only job is to stare at live traffic feeds, tracking every late morning commuter? A hero we need but truly do not deserve?
Not quite. The answer, as always, is data.
Data In The Wild
This is the series where we highlight everyday examples of data visualization in action. As always, it is a pleasure to be writing for an audience that knows exactly why Kit Kat loves bar charts, because they love to break down data. Today, we are diving into how Google Maps predicts traffic before you even leave the house.
So…How Does Google Know?
Short answer? You.
Longer answer? Google Maps relies on crowdsourced location data from millions of devices. If you have location services on, which let’s be honest, most of us do, your phone is constantly sending anonymous signals to Google. When multiple devices slow down on a stretch of road, Google detects congestion in real time and updates routes accordingly.
But it is not just real time data. Google also uses historical traffic patterns, yes, your past trips are part of the equation, and AI models to predict congestion before it even happens. That is why, sometimes, Google will warn you about traffic before rush hour even starts. It has learned from millions of previous Thursday morning commutes.
The AI Behind Your Commute
Google’s traffic predictions are not just about where people are, they are about where they will be. The AI analyzes factors like
- Time of day and day of the week, rush hour or weekend slowdown
- Weather conditions, rain means slower traffic
- Road closures and accidents, pulled from live reports
- Historical trends, patterns from past commutes
Just like that, your phone transforms into a tiny data sensor, feeding into a global system that predicts the road ahead.
.
You Are Not Just On The Map, You Are The Map
Every time you check Google Maps, you are both using and contributing to a massive dataset. It is data visualization in motion where real time data, predictive modeling, and AI come together to shape the way we move.
On the flipside, this is also a fancy way of saying Big Brother really is watching you. So if that creeps you out, maybe turn off your location. But if you do keep it on, just know that as a fellow last minute commuter, I deeply appreciate your service.
Catch you next time as we uncover more Data in the Wild!
.