Edmonton residents will soon be asked to use their smartphones to lend their hand in determining the travel patterns of the local populace.
Thousands of people will be able to help test a new app that has been produced by a Waterloo university professor. It will collect information about all the trips a household’s members take each day, and this will be used to help plan road and mass transit routes in the future.
According to councilor Michael Walters, using this GPS technology will give a very accurate picture of traffic patterns in the city, and both Edmonton and the province will be helping to cover the $1.5 million that will be needed to fund the cost of the project.
Participation will be on a voluntary basis, and all of the data that is collected will be aggregated so that it will not be possible to identify the individuals who took part.
It’s hoped that at least 1,500 people will agree to use their smartphones for this study. It will begin after school starts, and the final results are expected to be ready by 2016. A printing company will be able to produce bound Copies of the final report that can be distributed to the city council, the public, and any other stakeholders that may be interested.
It is also hoped that the numbers produced will be useful in forging transit partnerships with other nearby communities.Get a Free Quote for Copies
