wnrussell

Verizon released it's Traffic Enhanced Navigator 4 GPS in April. With the new VZ Navigator (Version 4), customers in 75 cities from coast to coast will be able to access traffic incidents, traffic updates and find detours around traffic congestion and accidents; more cities are expected to be added in the coming year.

Powered by Networks In Motion, Verizon Wireless? VZ Navigator service is a location-based service (LBS) application that utilizes GPS technology and real-time information feeds. Routes are be calculated using both historical and real-time reported traffic information ? the historical information will allow customers to see on average whether the traffic is impacted by traffic lights, heavy traffic or school zones. VZ Navigator?s historical data covers over 750,000 miles of roads in 48 states across the nation, making travel time estimates more accurate. The incident and flow information will tell customers how traffic is flowing, and includs details about reported accidents, disabled vehicles and congestion. NIM?s Traffic Tracking Center continually monitors conditions along the customers? routes, sending proactive alerts to drivers about conditions ahead of them on their chosen routes. Detour options allow for comparison of ETA and conditions, before selecting a new route. Traffic information is powered by NAVTEQ Traffic.

Other new features customers can expect to see on VZ Navigator (Version 4) include:

Local Movies and Events ? Customers can now search for show times, critics? ratings and other details for movies, concerts, plays, sporting events and other social events based on the physical location of their phones.
Gas Finder ? Provides customers with information on the location of gas stations close to their physical location and even provides gas prices at many gas stations in the area. Once a customer selects a station, VZ Navigator can also provide turn-by-turn directions to the selected gas station.
Weather ? Provides current weather conditions and forecasts based on the physical location of their phones without manually inputting an address.

Since BMW already uses Verizon for other location based services, like emergency dispatch, I wonder how long it will take to deploy this technology.