Crowdsourcing traffic simulation to improve signal timing
Derek Riley, Gwen Nellen, Raul Barrera, Jesus Quevedo · Journal of computing sciences in colleges · 2014
Inefficiency in automobile traffic light timing contributes to wasted time of travelers and wasted energy, but improving the timing of traffic lights is a difficult problem due to the inherent complexity of the problem. In this work, we present our crowdsourcing tool that allows Android mobile phone users to play a game challenging them to find optimal light timing for a simulated traffic intersection. To succeed at this game, players must configure the traffic light signals to optimize the throughput of vehicles. Scores and configurations of players are stored in a remote database, which is used to populate a high score list. The game uses crowdsourcing by allowing players to load configurations from the high score list to try to optimize them. We also present a case study of volunteers who tested our prototype.