{"id":504652,"date":"2022-10-28T19:00:56","date_gmt":"2022-10-28T16:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/where-does-google-maps-get-its-traffic-data-from\/"},"modified":"2022-10-28T19:00:56","modified_gmt":"2022-10-28T16:00:56","slug":"where-does-google-maps-get-its-traffic-data-from","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/where-does-google-maps-get-its-traffic-data-from\/","title":{"rendered":"#Where Does Google Maps Get Its Traffic Data From?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a264a4143a59\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a264a4143a59\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/where-does-google-maps-get-its-traffic-data-from\/#%E2%80%9CWhere_Does_Google_Maps_Get_Its_Traffic_Data_From%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Where Does Google Maps Get Its Traffic Data From?&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/where-does-google-maps-get-its-traffic-data-from\/#What_Do_the_Colors_Mean\" >What Do the Colors Mean?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/where-does-google-maps-get-its-traffic-data-from\/#How_Does_Google_Know_the_Traffic_Conditions\" >How Does Google Know the Traffic Conditions?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/where-does-google-maps-get-its-traffic-data-from\/#Teamwork_Makes_the_Dream_Work\" >Teamwork Makes the Dream Work<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWhere_Does_Google_Maps_Get_Its_Traffic_Data_From%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Where Does Google Maps Get Its Traffic Data From?&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage alignnone size-full wp-image-842661\" data-pagespeed-no-defer=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Google-Maps-traffic.png?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Google Maps traffic.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Google gathers real-time location data from other people using Google Maps to show traffic congestion. Google previously used physical traffic cameras and sensors but no longer does.<\/p>\n<p>Google Maps is arguably one of the best services to have been created in the internet era. It\u2019s stuffed to the brim with helpful features, including real-time traffic congestion information. Where exactly is Google getting this data from, though?<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Do_the_Colors_Mean\"><\/span>What Do the Colors Mean?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Traffic congestion is represented in Google Maps with three colors: Green, Orange, and Red. As you can see in the image at the top of the article, roads have those colors overlayed on top. This is intended to show you the traffic conditions in real-time.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Green:<\/strong> Traffic is running smoothly and there are no delays.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Orange:<\/strong> You may run into some moderate traffic and delays.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Red:<\/strong> There are traffic delays. The darker the red, the slower traffic is moving.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to Check Traffic in Google Maps<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Does_Google_Know_the_Traffic_Conditions\"><\/span>How Does Google Know the Traffic Conditions?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-781997\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/6-google-maps-desktop-traffic-data.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Traffic data in Google Maps on desktop.\" width=\"650\" height=\"322\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s what the colors mean, but where is Google getting the data? Up until the late 2000s, Google collected data from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/smallbusiness.chron.com\/google-detect-traffic-congestion-49523.html\">traffic sensors and cameras<\/a>. These devices were placed on roads by government transportation departments and private companies.<\/p>\n<p>Traffic sensors and cameras use a variety of\u2014you guessed it\u2013sensors and cameras to detect traffic. That information is then used for various purposes, including Google Maps. However, that\u2019s not how Google gets traffic data anymore.<\/p>\n<p>Nowadays, Google gets a lot of its traffic information <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.google\/products\/maps\/google-maps-101-how-ai-helps-predict-traffic-and-determine-routes\/\">from you<\/a>. That is, if you use Google Maps on your phone with the location permission granted. In fact, you can\u2019t use turn-by-turn navigation <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/9to5google.com\/2021\/08\/23\/google-maps-navigation-data\/\">without contributing this data<\/a> to Google.<\/p>\n<p>Google also uses historical data as part of the equation. It can figure out the average time it usually takes for people to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a> a certain stretch of road at specific times and days.\u00a0It\u2019s a similar recipe for how Google Maps knows\u00a0how busy a store is at a given time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download<\/a> Google Maps Data for Offline Navigation on Android or iPhone<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Teamwork_Makes_the_Dream_Work\"><\/span>Teamwork Makes the Dream Work<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>So many people use Google Maps that Google can get an accurate read on traffic just by using your real-time location. It doesn\u2019t actually need that many people to use it, though. Let\u2019s say you\u2019re going 25 MPH on a 65 MPH highway. That tells Google traffic is not moving like it should.<\/p>\n<p>There you have it. Google Maps users around the world are contributing data to help people avoid traffic. You were probably contributing without even knowing it. If you don\u2019t want to share this data,\u00a0 you can turn off your location tracking on Android and the iPhone. However, that basically makes Maps useless.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to Disable Location Tracking on Android<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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Google previously used physical traffic cameras and sensors but no longer does. Google Maps is arguably one of the best services to have been created in the internet era. It\u2019s stuffed&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":504653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Google-Maps-traffic.png?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-504652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=504652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/504653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=504652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=504652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=504652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}