Traffic Jams Need Social Software
Monday: October 27, 2008 6:50 AM
What is the value of information? Many would say the most valuable information is accurate information that is delivered at the exact moment when it’s needed. I might argue that knowing the current traffic environment is the most critical information that I need on my drive home. Waiting 10-15 minutes for the next report could put me in a traffic jam that could have been easily avoided. Or, what would be the value of knowing that the dog that attacked my son over the weekend was aggressive and had no business being in a public location. The problem with most mechanisms for delivering information is that they are controlled by entities with different objectives. Those of us on the South side of Atlanta know very well that the media will focus more on the north side and downtown; leaving us to defend for ourselves. The owner of the dog wanted to save on boarding and vaccination costs while putting small children at risk. Both parties accomplished this be controlling the flow of valuable information from those that needed it the most.
What happens when our control systems fail us? In the past, people that went outside the bounds of traditional rules were called heretics. One can argue that Martin Luther was one that wailed against the controls of the church. We still have these control systems in place and most are very valuable and needed; as our current economic crisis points out. What would happen if you could collect immediate feedback from all those commuters, consolidate that information, and then make it available to everyone on the south side? You could embed electronic GPS systems that could measure speed and location and find some AI method of presenting that information through mobile phones. That would provide you immediate access to information without the traditional filtering of the traffic police. Even if a large percentage of cars didn't have the GPS system, you would be able to collect enough information from a few to make valid driving decisions. Social software serves the same purpose as the GPS, collecting information from a variety of sources on specific topics and then, consolidation. You can see where the business value of this type of information distribution comes in play. Without the filtering agent, information can flow freely and people can derive the value as they see fit. You never know, something amazing might happen.
What is the value of information? Many would say the most valuable information is accurate information that is delivered at the exact moment when it’s needed. I might argue that knowing the current traffic environment is the most critical information that I need on my drive home. Waiting 10-15 minutes for the next report could put me in a traffic jam that could have been easily avoided. Or, what would be the value of knowing that the dog that attacked my son over the weekend was aggressive and had no business being in a public location. The problem with most mechanisms for delivering information is that they are controlled by entities with different objectives. Those of us on the South side of Atlanta know very well that the media will focus more on the north side and downtown; leaving us to defend for ourselves. The owner of the dog wanted to save on boarding and vaccination costs while putting small children at risk. Both parties accomplished this be controlling the flow of valuable information from those that needed it the most.
What happens when our control systems fail us? In the past, people that went outside the bounds of traditional rules were called heretics. One can argue that Martin Luther was one that wailed against the controls of the church. We still have these control systems in place and most are very valuable and needed; as our current economic crisis points out. What would happen if you could collect immediate feedback from all those commuters, consolidate that information, and then make it available to everyone on the south side? You could embed electronic GPS systems that could measure speed and location and find some AI method of presenting that information through mobile phones. That would provide you immediate access to information without the traditional filtering of the traffic police. Even if a large percentage of cars didn't have the GPS system, you would be able to collect enough information from a few to make valid driving decisions. Social software serves the same purpose as the GPS, collecting information from a variety of sources on specific topics and then, consolidation. You can see where the business value of this type of information distribution comes in play. Without the filtering agent, information can flow freely and people can derive the value as they see fit. You never know, something amazing might happen.
