Clearing the road for traffic updates | Bangkok Post: tech

SOCIAL NETWORKING

Advances in technology have led to a revolution in traffic management, with motorists taking it upon themselves to update traffic information via interactive websites such as Twitter.

Traffy information is now available on Twitter.

Wasan Pattara-atikom, senior researcher at the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (Nectec), said a valuable resource is the recently launched Traffy website, which provides traffic information for Bangkok and Chiang Mai through both its own page and via its Twitter channel at http://twitter.com/traffy.

Tweetple are typically mobile and update their statuses on the go, making the medium a perfect way to help update traffic info.

The site's Twitter channel has more than 2,000 followers and is looking to develop personalised traffic info, for example tailored or frequently travelled routes and details of traffic conditions along them.

The researcher continued that using social networking sites suits the Thai environment because this country has a lot of mobile phone users, while the Government has a limited budget which cannot deliver traffic reports nationwide.

To aid development of this, the government has to invest in sensors that detect vehicle flow. This can be used in conjunction with social networks which encourage participation from motorists.

However, there are challenges in making the service attractive and relevant to users. In the traditional media for the sharing of traffic info - the radio - the driver has to wait until someone updates and broadcasts the details of their route. The new system can be smart enough to allow users to set their requirements and receive details as to which route would be the quickest.

Wasan said: "Imagine that motorists can use their mobile phones to capture traffic conditions in front of their vehicles and upload this information to the web. GPS in the phones cant then help us to identify where they are. Or, if the phone doesn't have GPS, image processing technology could help to match the scene with official information from the governments, enabling us to filter and update info in real time".

Moreover, the site also provides a Traffic Voice Information Service developed by Dr Nattanun Thatphithakkul, allowing motorists to find traffic information for their intended routes by calling 02-565-7007.

This automatic computerised system is especially of benefit to senior people or those who do not use the Internet.

Wasan added that this year is the fourth years of the project, which has spent nine million baht and continues to propose second phase expansion by allowing more partners in other provinces apart from Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

Currently, the site is partnered with the police and traffic authorities including provincial governments to feed their information through the site.

"Chiang Mai was a pilot to show that the technology can serve any area that has traffic problems and this helped to reduce problems at New Year and should do so next Songkran," he concluded.