These days we’re thrilled when can look online to locate where a
bus is or whether flights or trains are on time. However, the
nascent technologies tracking flights and buses can tell
transportation planners and managers much more about the system.
My friend Greg Moran, a consultant at Fieldstone Capital,
alerted me to a new project that MIT is spearheading in
conjunction with Singapore as part of the Transportation@MIT
project. This particular project, in conjunction with
universities in Singapore will use information technology to
evaluate transportation and commerce and figure out how to move
people most efficiently in terms of time, energy and
sustainability. At the heart of the Singapore project is
SimMobility, a simulation platform with an integrated model of
human and commercial activities, land use, transportation,
environmental impacts, and energy use. This simulation will be
linked with a range of networked computing and control
technology-enabled mobility innovations. The project’s
researchers plan