Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Would you use an app to help you find parking?

The U.S. Department of Transportation and Alphabet's Sidewalk Labs have announced a new platform, Flow, which uses real-time data to direct users to available parking and helps adjust travel patterns to alleviate congestion.

“Essentially the way this will work is we will build a platform to
ingest different forms of data to help users understand [it] in real
time,” said Sidewalk CEO Dan Doctoroff. “It can come from third party
apps or city’s own data [about road closures/construction]. It will
enable cities to create dashboards for transportation, parking.”

This effort is part of USDOT's Smart City Challenge program that seeks to identify sources of congestion and areas underserved by public transit.

“Empowering disadvantaged communities to take advantage of technology
and innovation is a key component of the Smart City Challenge,”
said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “By embracing smart
technologies and concepts that eliminate the digital divide, strengthen
connections to jobs and remove physical barriers to access, we can
strengthen communities throughout the country. Our partnership with
Sidewalk Labs will help cities engage citizens, improve access to
mobility and help cities manage evolving transportation challenges.”