Aussie Government Competition To Predict Commute Times 79
databuff writes "Last week, Sydney's Minister of Roads, David Borger, launched a $10,000 competition to develop an algorithm that predicts commute times on a major Sydney freeway. The winning algorithm will be used to power predictions on the Sydney live traffic website. The hope is that the predictions will help commuters make informed decisions about when to travel and on what routes, lowering the intensity of peak hour traffic. In its first week, the competition attracted entries from more than 50 teams and 19 countries."
What's the big deal? (Score:2, Insightful)
Who cares? I've seen lots of traffic sites. Even a GPS with an optional attachment for live traffic reports. You know what they always say? Traffic is pretty much where you expect it to be. Everyone knows where the traffic spots are, and sure enough that's where the traffic always is.
You'd think the usual suspects would be totally against this sort of science. The attitude is "we should annoy the living shit out of drivers at every opportunity, this will certainly make them take the bus instead. Plus, it makes us feel good. We are childless and live in the inner city anyway, and why can't everyone be like us and ride bikes?"