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Google search of local store gives busy times

electricpete

Android Expert
Jan 7, 2012
2,113
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Google Search??? Is that anytime you use Google to search using a browser? or does it have to be from that bar that says Google on it on the homepage of most devices?
For me it works any way I Google search (chrome omnibar, desktop search widget, ok Google). But it only works for one of three McDonald's near me. The other two McD's come up with everything else except the busy time graph
 
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See also http://google.com/maps/timeline, which is a personal location history of where you've been based on Google's location services.

I imagine this new "busy times" capability is just a function of aggregating that data to see when people are where.
Yep, you're right. That makes sense. That feature came on-line just a week or so after the personal location history in maps. More info at this link:
The company has explained in the past how it’s able to collect data from users of its Google Maps application in order to anonymously inform Google of things like traffic patterns and conditions. Similarly, that GPS-backed technology is now working to provide this business-level data as well.

“Much like we compute traffic data based on the anonymized aggregated movement of people on the road, we are able to determine relatively how busy a place is,” Google says.

The McDonald's that has data near me has its own address on the main street...probably easy for Google to figure out exactly where it was.

Neither of the other two has a separate address on a street. One is inside a mall parking lot and the other is inside a Walmart... probably makes it harder for Google to figure out where they are to a fine enough degree.

Restaurants probably aren't a great example of when this is valuable (we know when people go out to eat). But it might come in handy planning time and day for other places I wait: banks, walk-in barbers, department of motor vehicles....
 
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