Real-Time Online Map Shows Rome In Motion

Posted by: Nate Berg

11 September 2007 - 2:00pm

The city of Rome recently launched a dynamic mapping project that utilizes cell phones and GPS devices to display the city's flow of traffic and pedestrians on a publicly accessible website.

"In a technological leap, a futuristic urban map made its debut, featuring the dynamics of the city in real time. The map project, known as 'Wiki City Rome,' is continuously fed data through wireless technology such as cell phones and global positioning systems on city buses and taxis."

"Matching the pulsing flow of activities, a big screen display in one of Rome's main squares showed a continuously changing picture of the city."

"Red, yellow and green lights overlaid over a map of the city reflected the movements of hundreds of thousands of people, the real-time position of city buses and taxis, and crowds at the most popular events."

"Anyone with an Internet connection was able to follow the unique map of the city and experience 'a new awareness of how Romans move within their city in response to exceptional pulse of activities,' said Kristian Kloeckl, a researcher at MIT's SENSEable City Laboratory in Cambridge, Mass."

Full Story: Dynamic Map Features Rome in Motion

Source: Discovery, September 10, 2007