What Are GPS Traffic Notices?

Truckers both contribute to and benefit from GPS traffic data.

The global positioning system consists of at least 24 satellites that help guide not just automobiles but also planes, ships and really any vessel that has to contend with travel. Real-time notices on your own GPS device -- if you have one that supports traffic notices -- are there to help you get from point A to point B efficiently.

Devices

Not all GPS devices have traffic-alert features. Some units, even if they have the technology to take advantage of live traffic notices, won't receive them unless you subscribe to a traffic alert service through your GPS manufacturer. Major GPS companies who offer such traffic avoidance notices on their various GPS models include Garmin, TomTom, Navigon, Mio and Magellan.

Reports

Without traffic notices, a GPS device will navigate you to where you want to go, alert you to points of interest along the way, inform you of your speed and upcoming turns you need to make, and perhaps even give 3-D mapping of an area. However, it won't tell you anything about current traffic conditions, leaving you with the need to compensate by listening to the radio or checking your mobile phone for updates. GPS units with traffic notices, though, will reroute a typical course to avoid traffic jams and slowdowns.

Collection

In order to funnel all the data necessary to navigate people around bad traffic, teamwork is needed. The U.S. Department of Transportation monitors incidents along thousands of miles of highways and reports that information. Additionally, the vehicle fleets of airport shuttles, taxis, public utilities and trucking companies, as well as news stations and traffic sensors, may broadcast traffic information. This data is compiled and transmitted to GPS devices, thus providing live traffic updates for better navigation.

Future

GPS device manufacturers and governmental agencies continue to look at ways to improve navigation over land, water and air. In fact, according to the federal government's official GPS website, research is underway with a view to rigging automobiles with automated features that would activate in critical traffic situations, after the vehicle's GPS device is alerted. One possible application of such technology is pre-deploying airbags for driver and passenger safety.

References

• Garmin: What Is GPS?
• GPS.gov: Marine
• GPS.gov: Aviation
• PC Magazine: The 10 Best GPS Devices
• Laptop Magazine: How Real-Time Traffic GPS Works
• Garmin: Traffic
• GPS.gov: Roads and Highways