The Google Maps layer that shows when there are crowds of people greater than 50 per 150 m sq.
Google Maps already has the ability to show when many stores are busy. After clicking on a Google place marker users can already see, along with basic info about the store or restaurant etc. the common busy times, some places even with “live” updates.
But this is cumbersome, what would be better is an actual map layer!
Just like the Maps traffic layer that shows congregations cars that are too dense, this would show people that are too dense, per official social distancing guidelines. Android users could set their phone to automatically buzz if you were wandering into a high people-dense area. The app could then even pop-up a home shopping/take-out option for the place you were likely headed to ;)
By re-tasking the same technology that lets Google Maps know when there is traffic congestion, use it to show when there is a crowd. Using AI, it would analyse movement patterns, then calculate area and people density, along w a schema for places (grocery stores, shops, parks, streets, offices etc.).
For example, at the grocery store it would look for “up and down aisle pattern” (see note 1) to distinguish it from say an office building above a grocery store, and it would have to be on target of a known grocery store in Maps.
Notes:
1: Algorithm would have to look for aisle patterns, not all shoppers go up and down each aisle, but prefer to go to up and down specific aisles.
Tag Team: Tracking the Patterns of Supermarket Shoppers
https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/tag-team-tracking-the-patterns-of-supermarket-shoppers/
National electronic disease surveillance: a dream delayed
Canadian Medical Association Journal
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj
Technology providers:
Google Maps
https://twitter.com/googlemaps
@googlecanada
Waze
Sidewalk Toronto
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