Re:Where's the real benefit (Score 1)

For me, the value of this type of service is not in eliminating traffic (which is literally impossible in many areas including Atlanta), but rather knowing exactly how long it is going to take me to get from point A to point B. Being in traffic only bothers me if it is going to make me late for something. If I have plenty of time, I can just relax, listen to my ipod and try to get out of the way of the raging hotheads who are late. I am not interested in what highways are currently green, red or yellow. I want all the guess work taken out. If you can anonymously (obviously the tricky part) track every car between various well-chosen locations (like toll booths) and collect real-time interval statistics, classic mining of the data along with historical trending can yield exactly that. PDA software (or using a web-based service accessible from your home and work computer) would then be used to 1) set your current location 2) set where you are going and 3) when you need to be there. The software would then monitor the real-time data and also use heuristics for analyzing trends and alert you when you need to leave. Leading up to your departure time, you could receive alerts when your likely departure time changes based on the latest information. What this won't solve is the problem of an accident that occurs after you leave, but good luck solving the prediction of random events. For me the biggest problem with Mapquest, Google Maps, etc, is the estimated travel time. These collected data points could go a long way towards improving that information. Just think how pleasant the roads would be if everyone had plenty of time to get where they need to go (assuming they know they will be late if they don't at least keep up with traffic). That, I believe, is the value.