There are a lot of traffic and navigation app options, with Google and Apple offering their own native apps and third party apps, like Waze, constantly updating features to keep up with users’ needs. But INRIX, a traffic data industry veteran, just may have these popular apps beat with its updated INRIX Traffic apps for iOS and Android.
INRIX has been in the traffic data business for more than a decade, and currently provides many cars built-in navigation systems with their real-time traffic.Their traffic data draws on information transmitted live from 275 million cars worldwide, certainly no trivial number. And the INRIX Traffic app drew on all of that good information to inform you about traffic along your route.
The new updates for the INRIX Traffic app, available for free today in the Google Play and iOS App Stores, add turn-by-turn navigation and machine learning to help users get to their destination fast along the routes they like to travel. Here's how it all comes together.
Pre-drive alerts and drive time alerts, which Waze just added to their iOS app, let you know exactly what time you need to get going to reach your destination in time. The functionality is enhanced by Traffic’s calendar integration. If your calendar has an event tied to a location, Traffic can automatically tell you when to leave.
The map is also color coded according to how traffic is moving, with tabs that show you where other drivers have reported an accident, traffic, police presence and future street closures. One of the alerts I received said that a New York Islanders game at the Barclays Center today could affect traffic, should I choose to venture over there.
As you use the app more, it learns your most visited places and the times you go there, sending you notifications as to when you should leave (and letting you customize how much time you would like those alerts in advance). And while most apps automatically choose the quickest route for you, INRIX’s director of product management, Joel Karp, told Ars Technica that their app learns your preferred route and only offers another if it knows there is a significant delay— one of six or more minutes. Now that’s smart!
The app is already trending in the iOS App Store Search, so it seems like many people are excited about INRIX’s addition to the navigational app market. That's good news, because the more drivers out there using INRIX Traffic, the better the data will be.
[App screen shots via Chelsey B. Coombs/Techlicious]
