Google Maps have announced a new product functionality for its Maps API products – Predictive Travel Time. Known at Google Maps as “PTT”, it will enable users to plan ahead of time to choose the best route and times based on Google’s historical analysis of road-traffic data.
What is PTT?
PTT is an enhancement to Google Maps API for Work Directions and Distance Matrix that returns estimated travel time based on the day of the week and the time of day (it’s primarily based on traffic, though public transport works as well). All current Google Maps API Directions and Distance Matrix customers can access this feature.
How is it being used?
A few initial usage scenarios are:
- How far away from the office can one live to arrive at work at 9am on Mondays to Fridays?
- Letting a customer calculate when they need to leave home to get to that meeting in the city centre.
- Calendaring tools that automatically invite people to events based on time away or scheduling meetings based on an itinerary.
The result is to create more intelligent, personalised services that keep consumers even more engaged on your sites. A quick video outlining its benefits can be found at Google Maps Predictive Travel Time video.
Snowdrop are planning several PTT projects with customers for 2016. If you’d like to be among the first to trial or implement PTT, please get in touch.
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Find out how Predictive Travel Time can benefit your clients in their search.
Michael is a Technology & Digital Consultant to the Real Estate, Property, Travel and Tourism industies with over 13 Years of leading Technical teams & Programme Management. He has worked with agencies in multiple countries and cities from the UK, New York, Russia, France, Dubai to Australia and South Africa. In his spare time he is a commercial drone pilot that dabbles with Photography & Videography.
