TECH: Real Time Rome

WHAT: Real Time Rome is MIT's SENSEable City Lab's project that collects and tracks real time cell phone data, bus, and taxi information in Rome with the hopes of helping individuals better plan their time by knowing congestion conditions on foot or vehicle.

WHY: Simply put, it's a way of mapping information how many people are where at any given time. By using cell phone technology - which the majority of people now have - the plan is to help curb Rome's congestion by mapping the pulse of the city.

Using your phone or kiosks displaying maps placed throughout the city at bus stops and the like, individuals can see how busy it is at a major plaza, which roads are congested, or what night clubs are the most popular.

It's really a simple idea that is pretty cool; it's using exsisting technology to help people be more efficient with their time. In a dynamic scenario, it may even allow buses to alter their routes as necessary, and by providing information to riders, help lessen stress levels by answering the unknown variable: when exactly is my bus going to arrive?*

http://senseable.mit.edu/realtimerome/

* In London, the transit authority conducted research that demonstrated that stress levels were reduced when riders knew the arrival time of late trains versus waiting without knowledge, hoping - yes, praying - that sometime their train would in fact arrive.

/sms