gps for iphone 3g application
Will the iPhone 3G ever have an application which completes with the Dash Express?
The Dash Express GPS has real-time traffic and in addition to a user-developed database of actual traffic conditions. Will the new 3G iPhone with a built-in GPS ever have an application written for it which will recreate this feature?
It seems like given the fact that the more units you have out there “monitoring” traffic, the better the real-time data will be, the iPhone would be a great platform (lots of units) to develop something like this.
You’re right, the volume of iPhones out there would be a great way to collect real-time traffic data. However, who would be willing to collect this data? I don’t see Apple or any of the GPS manufacturers collecting this data in the future. I do envision mapping companies such as NAVTEQ or TeleAtlas possibly trying to dip their toe in this. Inrix, which collects traffic data, is a possible candidate because they already collect traffic data via GPS from fleet vehicles, taxis, and tollroad transponders. But would they be willing to collect data from consumer-oriented devices?
Another thing to think about is how will the data collector know the iPhone is in a car and not just in a guy’s pocket walking down the street? The walking guy could trick the traffic data provider into thinking traffic is only going 3.5mph (his walking speed). Perhaps the iPhone app would be configured to only report its speed to the traffic data processor when the iPhone is using a navigation app.
