Far from the maddening crowd?

Whether you're out to people watch or a quiet after work drink.  Google's latest feature will give you real time data of how busy a place really is.  This week's Guardian reports that the search site now has extended its Popular Times feature as part of Google Maps with a live feed that maps how busy certain places are.  So....no more surprises then? 

The feature can help you assess the crowd at your local cinema, or library. 

This could be a marketers dream... 

How?  Well, some timeslots are pretty obvious.  It stands to reason that most people go out, after work, and have meals at standard times of day. But what if this data changes some of that normal timezone and encourages people to use the less frequent times. Businesses can capitalise on the slower traffic flows and hence adjust accordingly....or not.

So, there's no reason to get lost in the crowd again, or even follow one.  But you should be in with one.