Data analytics makes you look smarter. And who doesn’t want to look smarter … like when you uncover a shortcut, a secret route or a better way.
My recent blog post on analytics and intelligence in cars and traffic didn’t prepare us for the latest digital assistant from Garmin. Its newest GPS device, the Nuvi 3700, not only recognizes patterns from your driving but can also compare information from other networked devices when you use a system called myGarmin.
Learning software and pattern-recognition intelligence means the device can fetch time-sensitive and location-specific (time, place, directional) details when you input your destination. It analyzes your common routes and provides comparisons to traffic patterns, reports of current delays or known habits. Then, over time, your GPS will make informed suggestions of re-routing options.
Another feature lets you save frequent destinations in your “Favorites” and over time the device will begin to recognize where you’re going even without your input. Daily commutes to work or weekly trips to the store, monthly visits to Aunt Hazel may be obvious to you but become easier when you have help. And when analytics tools are built-in making the “work” invisible then all you get are the benefits.
Your device recognizes which trip is occurring and provides time of arrival and relevant traffic information. The device “learns” patterns based on time-of-day trends for traffic flow to improve your routes and better predict your estimated time of arrival based on time of day and day of week.
Your GPS unit gets free traffic trends updates every time you connect to myGarmin. Like cowl-neck sweaters or bacon martinis, no trend is a sure winner every time. But you’ll have better information, backed up by historical trends — not just a hunch on why you are taking the long way home.
David Wallace
Spotfire Blogging Team
Image Credit: Photo Courtesy of Garmin