Comment on Google Maps tests new pop-up ads that give you an unnecessary detour
akilou@sh.itjust.works 4 months agoDoes it have traffic data?
No.
The only OpenStreetMap based navigation app with live traffic data is Magic Earth. It’s not foss, but gratis.
They get the traffic data from some third party, not by following their users like gmaps. That is the reason live traffic is only available in just some countries: www.magicearth.com/feature-availablity/#hd_traffi…
They get the traffic data from some third party, not by following their users like gmaps.
Do you share data with third parties?
We send position data to our traffic provider to generate real-time traffic information. The data is anonymized on the phone, using a changing key (so it’s not linked to you), and it is deleted after 5 minutes.
Thanks for this, I’m going to try this out on my way home. My main use for Gmaps is to determine the quickest way to and from work during peak hour, so keen to see how Magic Earth’s traffic data compares.
the quickest way to and from work during peak hour
Everyone is using Google for that, so on average, traffic on all alternative routes will level out quickly and it doesn’t matter which one you choose.
This assumes everyone has the same destination, which is rarely the case
But at that point what are you even gaining? If you’re looking for privacy you’re just trading Google tracking you for “third party service provider” tracking you
No. It means they get the data from somewhere else, maybe from some carsharing app, or from some government db from car counting thingies mounted on traffic lights, etc. There are other sources to get traffic data ftom, but usually following users is more convenient and reliable
They wont tell us where they get it from, they only say it’s not generated via this app. They are followimg someone, but not me.
No, if you want that, just use Magic Earth. It’s a great app, btw.
flamingo_pinyata@sopuli.xyz 4 months ago
Unfortunately not, and the time estimates are quite inaccurate. Sigh, it’s the price for not having to deal with Googles shit
akilou@sh.itjust.works 4 months ago
Sounds like you just have different shit to deal with