So I've got a SR+ M3, and the preview period opened up this last week for the premium connectivity. Does anyone know where Tesla is pulling the traffic data from?
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Traffic data source?
- Thread starter Kognos
- Start date
The maps come from Google, so I'm guessing the traffic data does as well.
Actually the maps are NOT from Google. Only the satellite data/images are from Google. The maps are mostly in house data.
Tesla's new 'light-years ahead' navigation and maps engine is 'almost done', says Elon Musk - Electrek
Actually the maps are NOT from Google. Only the satellite data/images are from Google. The maps are mostly in house data.
Tesla's new 'light-years ahead' navigation and maps engine is 'almost done', says Elon Musk - Electrek
Right, exactly. I am seeing orange/red all over the place and I'm also seeing where it's incorrect or at least very behind current traffic situations (like maybe an issue in the last hour but not currently). I am curious in making a solid technical assessment and not a comparative assessment really, since this is only available to me for the next 25 days or so.
Beyond subscribing to data services for music, the sat maps and traffic are the only things that I would use data for, and so far the traffic conditions are really more annoying then they are useful. It's seriously hard to see if there are problems in your route; forget even trying to drive through something like downtown of your city, you need to seriously inspect your map carefully to determine conditions and that's not something you do while driving. Within a day of having this system I wanted an option to turn off all conditions but the ones along my nav route - how can Tesla miss stuff like this? I don't need orange/red all over my screen.
There's already an option to reroute if it improves destination time by X minutes, so that's the point where it should show you traffic conditions outside of your current route. Otherwise it's just huge visual clutter.
I've had the service since I got the car. IME, the traffic data is not accurate or valuable. The travel time estimates appear to be based off this faulty data, and are a complete joke.
The strangest cases I've seen are in parking lots. Lots of red/orange in the loops around the lots. Obviously no city parking sensors in these lots...so where does the data come from? I would think possibly some sort of delivery trucks, but they show slowdowns in parts of the lot where these trucks wouldn't be.
Additionally, there's the issue with the zoom level. If you get on the highway, the map will automatically zoom out, and then you don't have enough detail near the exit you're travelling to so that you can pick an alternate path (like if one exit is busy, you take a different one). You can change that zoom level, but you have to do it manually every time. Then when you get to an exit, the zoom level changes.
Actually the maps are NOT from Google. Only the satellite data/images are from Google. The maps are mostly in house data.
Tesla's new 'light-years ahead' navigation and maps engine is 'almost done', says Elon Musk - Electrek
You may want to tell Tesla to remove the credit at the bottom of the map that says Google Map Data 2019
I really doubt Tesla makes their own maps...routing software I could see. The Electrek article is old and and Tesla's 'almost done' could mean years as we know ;-)
I get that this thread could easily devolve into comparisons of other driving tech, but honestly I want a reason to buy the Tesla connectivity. Sat maps won't do it alone, and I might be on the edge of getting a Spotify subscription, but I'm really looking for the hidden gem in the traffic view that Tesla offers. I've been actively using it for a few days now and I'm really unimpressed so far. I FEEL that this might be due to my non-understanding of how it works, so the engineer-brain of mine just wants to dive into the technology and understand it.
Like for example in a school near my home I saw orange/red during the time that kids get off school. I know there are zero cameras, and no other data points that I'm aware of that would indicate this. How the heck does this system know that there was an issue along that block? Where are the data points to determine traffic and how up to date is it? I see red along corners all the time where I drive up to them and see no traffic at all. I KNOW in my head they are busy - those red lines COULD mean just a high rate of traffic - but they're not at all backed up, so what the heck is my traffic system telling me, that cars exist on these paths?? It doesn't make sense to me.
Actually now that I've written that down, it could be exactly what Tesla is doing, but it's still dumb (if so). Over-cluttering the interface showing where traffic is active is not visually useful to anyone who isn't manipulating the screen actively. I have driven downtown Portland and seen orange/red all over the freaking place. While driving, I need to know AT A GLANCE whether the path I'm heading toward is viable or not, and too much information does not make for a visually helpful experience. I would prefer a simple indication that traffic is backed up or stalled.
Of course I'm just speculating, which is why I started this thread - I would love some actual specifics.
Like for example in a school near my home I saw orange/red during the time that kids get off school. I know there are zero cameras, and no other data points that I'm aware of that would indicate this. How the heck does this system know that there was an issue along that block? Where are the data points to determine traffic and how up to date is it? I see red along corners all the time where I drive up to them and see no traffic at all. I KNOW in my head they are busy - those red lines COULD mean just a high rate of traffic - but they're not at all backed up, so what the heck is my traffic system telling me, that cars exist on these paths?? It doesn't make sense to me.
Actually now that I've written that down, it could be exactly what Tesla is doing, but it's still dumb (if so). Over-cluttering the interface showing where traffic is active is not visually useful to anyone who isn't manipulating the screen actively. I have driven downtown Portland and seen orange/red all over the freaking place. While driving, I need to know AT A GLANCE whether the path I'm heading toward is viable or not, and too much information does not make for a visually helpful experience. I would prefer a simple indication that traffic is backed up or stalled.
Of course I'm just speculating, which is why I started this thread - I would love some actual specifics.
And often, traffic colors (the ones we have left) are under the big blue route line.
I'm not for sure, but I've been trying to figure out the traffic data over the last year I've owned the car. I'm thinking that it's showing areas it thinks are conjested. I think it may determine this based on speed. When there are x amount of cars that travel through an area in a given period of time and mostly slow down or stop, that part of the route will show orange or red. I think that is why the road approaching some main intersections show conjestion when there is nothing out of the ordinary. A four lane devided road with a traffic light every mile or two may show conjestion when the overall traffic is fairly light. Just a thought.
My maps says (c) OpenStreetMap. Apparently, the traffic data is from MapBox but I haven't been able to confirm that.
While technically accurate, it doesn't really get down to the source data. What app, what service, and how does it get the data?
For example, earlier in this thread it was theorized that Tomtom is the source. Do the Tomtom apps really have consent to pull speed/GPS data at all times from all cell phones, or all in-car devices? That seems like a battery hog really, but if so, that's super interesting. I'd like to know for sure which service Tesla gets the traffic data from still because it's a difference of pulling direct from source (or knowing the limitations of the source) vs paying for Tesla's data.
Again, this is halfway for deciding whether I should keep the tesla offshoot of this data and pay the 10/mo for data, or just do without. I realize lots of people can say "oh such and such nav system is better" and that would be true, but if Tesla is using the same data source, then both could improve. It's the same philosophy we use to justify FSD purchase after all.
Traffic data is available from many sources. Some of it is city data as well. Tesla may (is?) probably using either an aggregator service or does it itself.While technically accurate, it doesn't really get down to the source data. What app, what service, and how does it get the data?
For example, earlier in this thread it was theorized that Tomtom is the source. Do the Tomtom apps really have consent to pull speed/GPS data at all times from all cell phones, or all in-car devices? That seems like a battery hog really, but if so, that's super interesting. I'd like to know for sure which service Tesla gets the traffic data from still because it's a difference of pulling direct from source (or knowing the limitations of the source) vs paying for Tesla's data.
Again, this is halfway for deciding whether I should keep the tesla offshoot of this data and pay the 10/mo for data, or just do without. I realize lots of people can say "oh such and such nav system is better" and that would be true, but if Tesla is using the same data source, then both could improve. It's the same philosophy we use to justify FSD purchase after all.
As for what devices, etc. Take a look at the "Location services" settings on an iPhone, one of the things in there is a category called "Traffic and routing". So, yes, Apple (in this case) can get traffic info from your phone regardless of whether or not you are using it to navigate. In fact the phone "knows" whether you're walking, running, driving, etc all the time. Certainly Android does the same.
Car telematics on newer cars also report in. At any one time, there are probably 2-3 ways to know how fast traffic is moving at any given point. Every Tesla out there is also reporting current speed, position, etc. to Tesla.
Bottom line, there very likely isn't "one source" for traffic data.
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you're not wrong. lots of speculation and lack of sources here. most of the articles posted are based on data from nearly three years ago and even now we don't have 100% accurate information.
FWIW - i've seen the landscape dotted with different bit of information and this is what i've learned, but don't take my word for it:
1. Tesla uses Google API to power their maps and navigation but uses it as an overlay
2. Google API does NOT allow the use of route planning as a navigation pilot, which is why the line doesn't "erase" as you drive and the navigation bit seems a bit "strange".
3. Google maps traffic data is collected through cell usage and location tracking and is likely provided to the vehicle at a local level.
Tesla may still be using some proprietary components in order to fully utilize Google's overlay API, however unless someone specifically articulates and divulges the architectural drawings of how the services all work together, we won't know the truth 100%.
Model 3 is using Google map for turn-by-turn navigation
https://www.quora.com/Whose-mapping...Has-it-always-been-the-same-Who-is-the-latest
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