Incidents mapplet shows islandwide road conditions. |
Commuters and motorists in Singapore can now better plan their trips, thanks to a unique collaboration between Google and Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) which makes maps, directions and route planning for various forms of land transport modes available for free on Google Maps. These transport modes include buses, trains, cars and even walking.
Transit and traffic information are also available to commuters and motorists on-the-go with Google Maps for Mobile, which allows them to check the latest updates on their mobile devices.
The service at maps.google.com.sg/transport was launched by LTA's Chief Executive, Mr Yam Ah Mee, and Google's Geospatial Technologist, Mr Ed Parsons, on 19 November 2009. Under the collaboration, LTA provides key transit and traffic information such as live traffic feeds and public bus/MRT routes and schedules. Google worked with Quantum Inventions, a Singapore company, to integrate traffic data on the Google Maps user interface.
Complementing the transit and traffic information are mapplets - mini-applications developed by third parties that can be added directly to Google Maps Singapore. With just a single click of the mouse, users can customise their Google Maps by adding useful tools created just for Singapore.
An example is the incidents mapplet based on LTA data which displays real-time traffic incidents, constructions, and road closures island-wide. If the traffic looks sluggish, users can find out what is causing it by clicking on the pin to get additional details such as when and where the incident happened.
Other examples include mapplets on Electronic Road Pricing locations/rates, cycle routes (from the National Parks Board), petrol station finder, carpark finder and highway cameras. These and other Singapore mapplets can be found in the My Maps directory.
The integration of LTA's information on Google Maps complements existing LTA and third-party travel planning tools for commuters. "In line with LTA's vision for a people-centred public transport system, we have launched several initiatives to help commuters better manage their travel time, transfers, and make more informed transport decisions,” said Mr Yam.
An example is PublicTransport@SG, which allows users to access both static and live public transport information from a single website. PublicTransport@SG receives an average of 679,000 page views monthly. In August 2009, a mobile version – PublicTransport@SG Mobile – was launched to give commuters access to public transport information on-the-go via a handphone or PDA.
"The collaboration with Google is another step in this direction to make it even easier for the public to plan their trips with transit and traffic information on Google Maps, whether travelling to their nearest shopping mall or across the island to their favourite eating joint," said Mr Yam.
Monitoring Singapore traffic on Google Maps
The traffic layer on Google Maps Singapore shows the current traffic status of highways and major roads across the country. This information can be accessed from a PC or mobile device, helping motorists to avoid busy areas and plan the best route to their destination.
To view current traffic information, users can click the button labeled “Traffic” at the top of the map. The traffic information is updated every few minutes with official data from LTA. The colours overlaid on the roads correspond to the traffic speed (relative to the speed limit of the road): green is free flowing, yellow is medium congestion, red is heavy congestion, and red/black is stop-and-go traffic. Users can also click "change" to see expected traffic patterns in the area at any hour on any day of the week based on historical traffic conditions.
The Singapore traffic information on Google Maps is augmented by data “crowdsourced” from motorists who contribute information on current traffic conditions. They can do this by setting their mobile devices to run Google Maps for Mobile with the Global Positioning System enabled and the My Location feature turned on. This enables the devices to send anonymous bits of information back to Google about how fast the mobile device is moving.
When combined with anonymous data from thousands of other similarly-enabled mobile devices moving around Singapore at any given time, Google Maps can create a more accurate picture of live traffic conditions.