IBM dispatched a team to Ho Chi Minh City on a charity mission to see if they could optimize the city of nine million people with infrastructural improvements. Jebediah Reed talks with IBM's team leader.
Traffic was the first issue the IBM folks tackled. The team used cell phone data to create maps of traffic flow.
"By looking at a cross section of the data in real-time, you can figure out the speed and direction of traffic and predict choke points up to an hour ahead of time. Then traffic cops can start rerouting some of those vehicles, and avert gridlock."
Transit is also big on IBM's recommendation list.
"Currently, the public transportation system is nothing short of abysmal: The routes are bad; the schedules are bad; and the buses - public transport in HCM City is pretty much limited to buses - are 'filthy' and 'unhygienic.'"
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