By Ma. Cristina C. Arayata
MANILA, July 28 (PNA) — The Advanced Traffic and Pollution Monitoring System (ATPMS), a project done by Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), will officially be launched before the year ends, most likely by October.
ATPMS is both accessible through the web (www.trapik.org) and via a mobile application (app). It’s a DOST-funded project which aims to give a solution to traffic problem in the country.
To make this program work, taxis are equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS). The data gathered will be connected to a cloud (server), which one may access via the mobile app or via internet.
This enables the user to know places where there are traffic jams, and this would also advice users about the best routes to take to avoid traffic jams. The data is shown in real-time, also enabling authorities to predict traffic situation.
As such, ATPMS will help distribute traffic volume in terms of space as it will direct users to the best routes, and also in terms of time as it will give an estimate of the travel time.
It would also help in determining road capacity demand since it would collect origin-destination route data. Also, the ATPMS has a pollution sensor.
The project actually started in October 2013 and supposed to end by 2015. It still needs improvement, reason why it’s not yet launched officially. The website is already available but it’s not yet polished, according to Proceso Fernandez, Jr., associate professor in ADMU.
In an interview with the Philippines News Agency (PNA), Fernandez shared that at present, 71 taxis were already installed with a GPS. He noted that 71 taxis are not enough. They target to equip 300 taxis before year-end.
How do they choose the taxis they’ll equip with GPS? Fernandez said they join the LTFRB meetings with taxi operators and find out who would like to cooperate. So far, Dollar taxis and airport taxis installed the GPS device.
Each device costs Php 10,000 – Php 12,000 according to Fernandez.
How does the ATPMS differ from other traffic websites and what is its edge?
“The advantage is that the data is a crowd-sourced traffic, and it’s in real-time,” Fernandez told PNA. He added that other websites, for instance, wait for a report, and sometimes, such report relies on social media.
Furthermore, he cited that they’re collecting/storing data perpetually. That means these data can be used to do more research on traffic situations. (PNA)