Monday, July 14, 2008
Traffic Cams Go Mobile
I'm completely fascinated by the idea of traffic webcams.
There's something about sitting at home and watching the roads that I enjoy. And when I'm running late -- like I oftentimes am -- it's nice to pull up a cam to see whether I need to call ahead or not.
There are several services -- TrafficLand, for one -- that let you check out traffic in major cities. And more and more communities are looking for innovative ways to keep their citizens up-to-date on hot spots.
Of course, the real value of a traffic cam doesn't come when you're sitting at home. It comes when you're on the road.
NBC4 has partnered with 3rd Dimension to make its traffic cams available on mobile devices (which comes with its own set of issues) in the Washington, D.C. area. The idea is to push the real-time video out to the people who need it most: commuters.
The idea of geo-located traffic isn't anything new. GPS firms have created national grids the use real-time data and estimated traffic to create very good traffic pattern maps.
Increasingly, though, cities and states are looking for ways to push this information out to mobile devices.
Posted By Brad at 10:34 AM
Permanent Link: Traffic Cams Go Mobile
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