This is a reformatting of a dynamic dashboard GPS map, using average speed measurements of all major routes and actually distorting the map so that length is proportional to time. Thus freeways typically would be short segments and backstreets long ones (although the reverse might be true!) This could make it easier to select a route from one place to another that minimizes time rather than distance.-- molecat, Jan 15 2007 DriveTime http://extranet.map...w.cfm?productid=284 [angel, Jan 15 2007] Cortical homunculus http://en.wikipedia...Cortical_homunculus [bungston, Jan 16 2007] Time Map http://www.h-online...-time-bandits-2.jpg [DrCurry, Jan 16 2007] Not sure it would be useful on the dashboard, but an interesting exercise nevertheless.-- DrCurry, Jan 15 2007 The result would be similar to the London Underground map. You could start with MapInfo's DriveTime product (linky), but I suspect that, as with that, there would be too many variables for it to be really useful.-- angel, Jan 15 2007 Interesting idea, especially if the roads expanded and contracted in real time depending on the actual traffic conditions at the time.
I do wonder how it would all stitch together, though - with relatively tiny motorways linking vast, sprawling city centres. + from me.-- lostdog, Jan 15 2007 I'm with [DrCurry], its an interesting concept.-- nomadic_wonderer, Jan 15 2007 //interesting concept// I'd like to see it further extended to take into consideration rail, air and shipping routes. It might show situations where a trans-continental trip might take a shorter time to accomplish than an excursion into the hills. It would be tricky to organise the data into a meaningful representation, but as the good Doctor states, an interesting exercise.-- zen_tom, Jan 15 2007 Imagine a triangle of motorways/freeways, each represented by a shortened line.
Now, imagine the representation of the back-roads within that triangle, each represented by a lengthened line.
How does your map fit the extended back-roads into in the constricted space between the reduced main roads?-- pertinax, Jan 16 2007 Pretty slick. It reminds me of the homunculus in which the size of each body part is depicted according to the number of nerve endings present. I'll see if I can link that up.-- bungston, Jan 16 2007 I just missed my exit. So ahead of me stretches the 5 minutes it's going to take to drive to the next exit, turn around, and get back to where I am now.-- lurch, Jan 16 2007 [bung], that is amazing!-- wagster, Jan 16 2007 Technically what you would get is bent slow streets, the information that you give up is dirrection and the ability to recognise landmarks based on relative angles and compass dirrections. If you were to condense these waves into tighter squigles that conformed closley to the roads original shape you might as well call it a legend, and could just as well use colors or varying checker marks. You still would not be able to compare absolute distance dirrectly. To tell it what routes to straighten out for comparison would be the same as asking it the times for those routes.-- MercuryNotMars, Jan 16 2007 random, halfbakery