New Traffic Service Coming From Mapopolis.com

[Brad Adrian]

<a href="http://www.mapopolis.com/index.jsp">http://www.mapopolis.com/index.jsp</a><br /><br />You probably know Mapopolis.com as the provider of excellent navigation and mapping software. The combination of Mapopolis.com maps and a Pocket PC amounts to one of the slickest navigation setups I've seen for helping me get where I want to go. Coming in early 2003, though, is a new Mapopolis service that promises to make sure I reach my destination even quicker.<br /><br />"The new product actively searches for accidents, slow downs and construction on the user's route and re-routes them if necessary to avoid it. The new product will be available to consumers in the first quarter of 2003 ($19.95 per month). It is a turn-key, PDA-based solution including real-time traffic and navigation for all major US metropolitan areas... The software incorporates proprietary new routing technology developed by Mapopolis. When an accident is detected, the software alerts the user, and depending on user configurable parameters, will either present alternative routes or begin automatically providing new instructions."<br /><br />This is really intriguing to me, and I asked Jeremy Straub, Mapopolis.com Vice President, for a few details. The service utilizes traffic flow sensors that are installed in most major metropolitan highways. When a traffic slowdown is detected, the Mapopolis.com service sends the notification to the user's Pocket PC via any available Internet connection (CDMA, GSM, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.). Then, it uses predictive routing algorithms to identify alternate routes and calculates updated travel times.<br /><br />Granted, I'd have to be doing a lot of traveling to justify the monthly fee, but it sure sounds a heck of a lot better than my present method for getting around accidents: a wife who allows me to steer the car while she does all the "driving" from her seat.

[Kre]

That would be a neat service, but for some honest criticism, I can't see people spending that kind of money each month just for some rerouting information. No one's going to spend close to $250.00 a year just for this. And the information is so specific. Customers would not be getting wireless internet access for $20.00/mo., but just traffic information. That's just too specific a service to be worth $20.00/mo. A person has to ask themselves, how many times they're honestly going to find themselves in an avoidable traffic jam, accident, or road repair situation to justify this kind of price each and every month. And the key word here is: avoidable. If there is no way to get around the traffic trouble, then the rerouting service is pointless, because sometimes you can't get around it. For this kind of thing to be worth it (to me, at least), I'd say I'd have to be getting into avoidable jams every two or three days, and that just doesn't happen (and I don't think that happens for most people, to be honest).

I think this kind of information is needed by only a very small amount of people - people who have jobs that are mission critical and involve a lot of driving. But even those people are in the minority and may choose other solutions to achieve this. The average person has little or no need for this information (perhaps once in a great while, but certainly not on a regular basis). I'd say, charge an annual flat fee, like $50.00 for a year's worth of coverage. I'd be shocked to think a mass of people would pay more than this.

Just my two cents.