CarTel uses wardriving for science, better driving directions

Filed under: Transportation, Wireless

If you’re not satisfied with the driving directions you get on Google Maps, a few smart guys at MIT have created an elaborate new toy called CarTel just for you. They’ve equipped a fleet of Boston-area cars with computers that automatically connect to any 802.11 access points detected in transit, then send home data recorded by their on board diagnostic systems, all in just a few hundred milliseconds. The result: a website that gives you directions based on information gathered in real-time so you can avoid high-traffic areas or say, if it’s raining, roads which have historically been congested in adverse weather conditions — no GPS required. The project also keeps a record of all access points detected, so think of it as wardriving for the good of humanity — and you (probably) wouldn’t even get arrested for participating!

[Via PhysOrg]

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