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Earlier this year, Google added a great Waze feature to help improve Maps experience called Incident reports. The incident reporting feature was in testing for months and was finally rolled out to Google Maps for Android a few days ago. The feature is made possible through Crowdsourced traffic data.
Google Maps for Android brings support for two different types of reports, including Crashes and Speed traps. Making plans and not being able to reach your destination on time can be a pain, so Google Maps is solving this problem by allowing users to easily mark traffic slowdowns. By allowing users to contribute, it allows the data to be seamlessly shared with others.
This feature is meant to help improve your commutes by reducing the time you spend in traffic. Android Police also does a great job of explaining this, saying that the more Google Maps users become aware of this feature and begin using it, the better overall experience will be for Google Maps.
By sharing the data, Google Maps will be able to better adapt to heavy traffic conditions and suggest alternate routes as needed. This was a great trick with Waze which allows you to reroute your travel when traffic jams were found in the system.
Currently, Google Maps will automatically let you know when there’s heavy traffic ahead, but this information is not based on crowdsourced data. The use and improvement of this feature will bring more benefits to all Google Maps users on the road. This feature is being rolled out based on markets, so don’t be surprised if it hasn’t reached your area yet.
