Now, one can get real-time updates of their friends' locations, and real-time movements of public transportation, the credit goes to University of Southern California researchers. They have fused real-time data with Google-like mapping software to enhance the utility of today's maps.
At first glance it looks like any other three dimensional map, but zoom in a little closer, and one can see cars moving and people walking around, all in real-time. This is the world of 'geo-immersion' that blends the real and virtual worlds together to give the user the most interactive maps in the world. The prototypes include a traffic tool that uses a standard Google map but overlays where cars will be using recent and historical data. This allows users to plot the fastest route to their destination taking into account where other drivers will be.
Another application is called iCampus, which gives real-time locations for friends who have tweeted or logged in to places on Facebook or Foursquare. Campus trams that are fitted with transmitters also appear on the maps so students can ensure they do not have to wait for them to turn up. Also in development is iWatch which integrates a 3D map of a city with real-time inserts by CCTV cameras which are overlaid on the top and spring to life when a user zooms in on them.
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