IBM looking to help you cut down your commute time

Hey tech-geeks – guess what? A new technology is out to help us avoid the increasing number of gridlocks occurring in metropolitan areas! I know, even though real-time traffic reports are as real as unicorns because you always end up stuck in the jam before knowing about it, IBM is hard at work with the California DOT and Cali’s Center for Innovative Transportation to make real-time traffic reporting real enough for you to avoid them.

IBM says that this new technology is their Smart Traveler Research Initiative. It consists of a system of sensors on roads, bridges, tollbooths and intersections with data being collected by IBM’s staff and equipment. The data is then analyzed and personalized, then sent to participants’ GPS-enabled mobile phones, which learn the daily routes and routines of the individual participant. The driver then receives automated emails or texts notifying them of their commute status before they even start driving.

The program has yet to go public, and the CCIT—the same research institute from the University of California in Berkley that worked with Caltrans, Nokia and NAVTEQ on the Mobile Millenium project to monitor traffic patterns—is unsure as to when the program will be available. To see what they’re up to, check out their latest video on their progress.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: Straightline