Google is piloting a program in Sydney that will allow Maps users to see detailed information about how crowded public transport services are.
The program, also being trialled in New York City, uses data from local agencies such as Transport NSW to show commuters crowdedness levels down to the individual transport car, in order to help plan journeys with adequate physical distancing.
According to Eric Tholomé, Director of Product, Google Maps, the program is part of an expansion of crowdedness predictions to more than 10,000 transit agencies in 100 countries.
“These predictions are made possible through our AI technology, contributions from people using Google Maps, and historical location trends that predict future crowdedness levels for transit lines all over the world.
“All these predictions were designed with privacy in mind. We apply world-class anonymisation technology and differential privacy techniques to Location History data to make sure your data remains secure and private,” he said.
Google has promised to roll out the program to more cities soon.
