Featured Articles: Fighting Traffic Jams With Data – WSJ

Nun ist es knapp 1 1/2 Wochen her, dass ich in Darmstadt auf der iTEC08 war. Eine interessante Veranstaltung über alle möglichen IT-Themen.

Einer der Tracks beschäftigte sich mit dem Thema „E-Traffic“. Hier wurde neben einer Traffic-Management-Erforschung in UK, auch über das Hessische „Staufreies Hessen 2015“ berichtet.
Nun habe ich aber heute einen sehr interessanten Artikel zu Car-To-Car-Communication im Onlineportal des „The Wall Street Journal“ gefunden:

NOVEMBER 17, 2008
Fighting Traffic Jams With Data
Researchers Develop Ways for Cars to ‘Talk’ to Each Other and Send Warnings

Es heißt hier dass….

A symphony of light-emitting diodes, smartphones, global positioning systems and mobile sensors may soon work together to help drivers avoid traffic jams.

The aim is to address the growing problem of traffic congestion through improved communications between cars.

The CarTel project, run out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is one attempt to free up the jam. Hari Balakrishnan, a professor in the department of electrical engineering and computer science, has developed a system to capture massive amounts of traffic data.

Mr. Balakrishnan has outfitted a fleet of limousines and taxis with mobile sensors that pick up real-time information on the location and speed of the vehicles as well as the condition of the roads. The data are fed back to a central computer that calculates the traffic patterns and can predict the optimal route.

Mr. Balakrishnan said he saves an average 10 minutes or more on his local commute by using the system, compared with a standard online-mapping service. The time saved increased depending on distance.

Mr. Balakrishnan hopes to expand the project. The taxi and limousine operator currently has 50 cars feeding him data. But a more comprehensive program would only work with more sources. He plans to distribute to smartphones programs that can perform similar functions, relying on regular commuters who can download the programs online or sources such as Apple Inc.’s App Store.

The information will eventually be distributed online, through smartphones and global positioning systems. Such a project could realistically work on a massive scale because many cars, and even more cellphones, are equipped with GPS equipment.

Interessant ist hier aber auch die Benutzung von Infrarot zur direkten Kommunikation zwischen den Autos…

Data can be modulated to travel with the light. It works for cars on the road because they are inherently lined up with each other, giving them perfect line-of-sight communication paths.

If a car ahead encounters ice or a major pothole, the data can be transmitted to the car behind, giving a warning on the road conditions. Or the sudden stop of a car in front could trigger an automatic braking system in the car behind.

Aber es ist noch nicht einmal Zukunfstmusik, wie ja auch der Track der iTEC08 zeigte. In den USA, wird neben den uns bekannten TomTom Traffic-Informationen (die Daten kommen hier von Vodafone), schon mit großen medien Partner in Benutzung…

Drivers looking for a quick update now can use their cellphones to look at live traffic feeds. The free program is created by closely held 3rd Dimension Inc., which takes video from local transportation-department cameras and broadcasts them through a mobile program.

The company has media partners that distribute the service. In New York, the program is known as the NBC New York Traffic Cam. Traffic feeds are available in nine major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Detroit, and are typically promoted and distributed by a media partner such as NBC, a unit of General Electric Co..

Users can check out the feed on their phone or get text-message alerts sent to them. 3rd Dimension has plans to expand its geo-tagging capabilities, sending targeted ads or public-service announcements based on where the driver and car are.

Wer den ganzen Artikel lesen möchte, findet in hier: Fighting Traffic Jams With Data – WSJ.com

Featured Articles: How Nike’s Social Network Sells to Runners

Gerade ist es jetzt mal rund 2-3 Wochen her, da hat meine Freundin auch so ein Ding geschenkt bekommen…

Ein interessanter Artikel….

Interessant ist hier, was gerade heiß diskutiert wird: Cross-Marketing  mit Social-Networks…

How Nike’s Social Network Sells to Runners
The Nike+ site is drawing hordes of runners, and its success may hold lessons for brand building on the Web

In the two years since it launched Nike+, a technology that tracks data of every run and connects runners around the world at a Web site, nikeplus.com, Nike has built a legion of fans.

Overall, the use of social networks worldwide has grown 38% in the past year, according to market researcher comScore. But a recent McKinsey survey found that many companies struggle with Web 2.0 technology and that only 21% of the nearly 2,000 executives who responded were satisfied with the software available to launch blogs or create Facebook applications.

Und hier wird es sehr interessant: Es gab, so wird behauptet, am Anfang nicht die Idee einer neuen Werbeplattform….

Nike’s online strategy differs from those of other companies. Most have tried to create virtual communities through a build-it-and-they-will-come approach centered on a brand or specific product. Originally, the Beaverton (Ore.) company envisioned Nike+ simply as a clever way to combine music and running, not as a prototype for a new kind of marketing. „It was never about how can we convert some percentage of users [to buy Nike shoes],“ says Stefan Olander, global director of Nike consumer connections

Aber nun steigt man voll ein….. mal sehen ob es klappt:

Nike now hopes to score with another group of jocks: basketballers. The company is beta-testing Ballers Network, a Facebook application that lets players organize real-world games and manage their teams online.

(Zitate von: „How Nike’s Social Network Sells to Runners“ – BusinessWeek)