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first published week of: 06/30/2014
Maps have come a long way since cartographers used mermaids and dragons to cover up the gaps in their knowledge.
1 Welcome to real-time traffic data
Currently, traffic data largely consists of ad hoc reports from the ground and analysis of camera feeds. Companies such as Waze, acquired by Google for $1.1bn in 2013, are changing that. Users of the service contribute to a real-time data stream that maps a city's traffic with unprecedented detail.
2 Let's take this inside
Modern navigation systems can get you to the door, but rarely any further. Now that's slowly becoming a thing of the past. Google now offers indoor maps for Android users at around 10,000 locations and rival Microsoft is doing the same with Bing Maps, including indoor maps at locations such as Heathrow.
3 Open alternatives
Although Google Maps dominates the mapping industry, there are viable open-source alternatives that have no copyright restrictions and let the crowd update the map. OpenStreetMap is the leading name in this area and powers travel app Citymapper.
4 A military upgrade
Britain's armed forces are beginning to go beyond GPS with "quantum positioning". By using powerful lasers to detect the effects of gravitational and magnetic fields on super-chilled atoms, the navy hopes to track its submarines to centimetre precision. continued…