Researchers design a ‘smart’ mobility system by crowdsourcing

With the advent of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, there are numerous technologies built today that help us live ‘smart’ and have revolutionized many fields. Transportation is one such field where numerous solutions are available that make it safe and reliable. But how do these systems collect the data required to turn them smart? Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, have found an answer in crowdsourcing. They have developed a simple web and mobile application to allow citizens to view, create, and maintain mobility related data, to support smart mobility. Based on various surveys, they have found that the application developed had a positive impact on the daily travel of users by reducing the waiting time at bus stops. Such systems that use the power of people, the researchers believe, gives them a sense of social belonging as opposed to a desire to receive any rewards or recognition for the data that people provide.