Email

Traffic jams are always a pain, especially for people who commute to and from work in large cities where traffic is a regular problem. Traffic problems are not only annoying, but also dangerous, so any relief is eagerly anticipated. The good news is, GPS tracking could be used to improve traffic conditions all over the world. During Nirmaan ’11, the 2011 three-day annual technical festival, held by the civil engineering department at the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, students presented several different models showing how GPS tracking technology could be used to manage and monitor traffic.

Before satellites, the only way commuters were able to tell traffic conditions, was by tuning into the morning news. The news would report congested areas, using their helicopters and reporters to collect the data.

This information is a bit easier to access now with many map applications available on smart phones that provide up-to-date traffic conditions. These new systems, proposed by the civil engineer students, would not only monitor traffic conditions, but hopefully relieve and possibly even prevent traffic jams from occurring.

Aayush Aggrawal, a BTech part II student of civil engineering at the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, said “The GPS and Google Earth can definitely help in tracing the exact location of vehicles and provide options for traffic diversion for better traffic management in the city.”

Aayush Aggrawal is one of the students that submitted a traffic management system using GPS tracking technology. Aayush’s team’s design took home second prize, competing against several other fresh, young civil engineers, also using satellite tracking for traffic management.

Traffic management wasn’t the only thing on these civil engineers agenda. The students also presented very creative city plans, complete with appropriate facilities and infrastructure. A separate competition was also held for bridge building, called Sancharana, which attracted many young students, eager to develop functional, durable bridges. The competition was overseen by P K Singh, head of the civil engineering department, and Brind Kumar, organizing secretary of the event.

Article Written by Marisa O’Connor