This article was published on March 30, 2016

Newly redesigned ‘INRIX Traffic’ app is the perfect marriage of GPS and machine learning


Newly redesigned ‘INRIX Traffic’ app is the perfect marriage of GPS and machine learning

Today, INRIX is launching its completely redesigned GPS app, INRIX Traffic. The app uses machine learning to better plot your routes in addition to providing turn-by-turn navigation with maps from OpenStreetMap (OSM).

The app uses smart algorithms to take most routing decisions out of your hands (although you can still manually adjust if you’d like to).

“We designed INRIX Traffic with one specific vision: To help drivers move through their daily lives as quickly and efficiently as possible. The app uses our advanced traffic science to make even routine trips easier,” said Bryan Mistele, President and CEO of INRIX.

When you leave the app running in the background it analyzes your frequent routes — so much so that it can easily spot the grocery store you’re most likely to shop at or what you like to do after work.

Even cooler, INRIX Traffic knows all of this without your input. With 275 million connected cars, smartphones or sensors already on the road, INRIX has a wealth of data for its machine learning algorithms to pull from.

“Users want an app that is accurate, personalized and smart enough to work proactively for them–so we’ve integratedseveral highly advanced technologies into one all-encompassing app,” added Mistele.

All of this information is stored in the cloud and the app smartly decides what you’re most likely to be doing at any given time on any given day. Whether it’s pulling from your calendar, or just the places you’re most likely to visit — on the days you’re most likely to visit them — the app knows.

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If your kickboxing class is Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5pm, INRIX Traffic already has a route planned — and it’s the one it has learned you’re most likely to take.

If you typically arrive for class at 4:48, the app knows that too and strives to get you there at the same time — all without user input in setting a route, telling it where you’re going or trying to judge your ETA based on current route conditions. Do nothing and it’ll actually tell you when to leave, how to get there and whether your typical route is going to lead to delays.

If the app’s ever wrong, you can update it yourself.

For example, if a traffic slowdown is estimated to take an additional 20 minutes, but ends up taking 35, you can add a note for other INRIX users. The app then uses these suggestions to make changes to other INRIX Traffic users routes, where appropriate.

If you want to give INRIX Traffic a spin, it’s free and available in the App Store or at Google Play.

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