Traffic Map Data Comparison

Compare the difference in data quality

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Comparing Data Quality of Traffic Maps
The maps above demonstrate the differences in traffic data. For presentation purposes, these maps are loaded in real-time when this page is loaded. Thus, the images you see are intended to provide real-time traffic information. Because the content that is being compared is dynamic, this analysis will be general. From left to right, top to bottom, the maps are provided by: TrafficGauge, Washington State Department of Transportation, Yahoo and Google.

The DOT map is the main source of the data so it can be considered the source data which all the other maps should match closely. With Google and Yahoo there are typically gray areas representing "no data" when there is in fact data available. Often you will also see that the DOT reports black or red, meaning slow traffic, and Yahoo and Google report green or free-flow traffic. The reverse is also true where the DOT report green or free-flow and Yahoo and Google report red. Yahoo and Google often paint the wrong picture of the traffic flow picture. Such errors can lead drivers into traffic jams instead of helping the commuter avoid trouble spots.

TrafficGauge applies algorithms to improve upon the data provided by the DOT, however there are close similarities between these two maps. A large number of technical issues are inherent with the analysis and processing of traffic flow data which is why TrafficGauge provides accurate information and the others fail to provide good results.

In conclusion, many other web sites and applications use the same flawed traffic data aggregation services as Google and Yahoo, while TrafficGauge uses its own servers to collect and process data. TrafficGauge also refuses to use historical or predictive speed data, while other data aggregators use "educated guesses" to fill in missing or sparse data, often incorrectly. This frequently explains the errors in reported speed data seen in other sources.Therefore, with TrafficGauge's mobile traffic maps you will find the data to be the best in class.

Click here to view our white paper for a more complete discussion of our industry leading traffic aggregation technology.