From the course: Everyday Statistics, with Eddie Davila

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Getting directions from statistics

Getting directions from statistics

From the course: Everyday Statistics, with Eddie Davila

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Getting directions from statistics

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- [Narrator] Driving apps, whether on your phone or a GPS in your car, people seem to love to use them, but a 2015 Pew study estimated that at least 90% of drivers use them at least sometimes. So, how do they work? Well, each app is different, but many take into account mountains of historical and real time data. First, there's the task of knowing all the possible routes. Private and government agencies help provide this data, and satellites often help too. But things always change. New roads are built. Construction and accidents may force detours and slow traffic. This new and real time data might be reported directly by humans, or it can be culled from the cell phone signals of those that use the app. Some of this user data is anonymous, but in some cases, the app knows who you are and understands your personal driving patterns. Then there's historical data that can be used to help develop forecasts for what traffic might be like five minutes from now, or maybe five hours from now…

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