Source: ScienceAlert
Google shared an update on its AI-driven mission to reduce wait times, fuel use and polluting emissions at intersections.
Early indications reveal that stops could be reduced by around 30%, with emissions reduced by around 10%, with research showing that pollution at road junctions is around 29 times higher than on the open road.
All this improvement is based on a large set of data collected from Google Maps.
The app monitors vehicle paths and speeds – which is why it can warn you about traffic ahead – and creates artificial intelligence models of how vehicles and lights interact with each other.
Google Maps and AI technology means more data can be processed more quickly, and what’s more, there’s no need to update existing infrastructure.
“Green Light is able to analyze thousands of intersections simultaneously, optimizing flow across multiple intersections in a city,” wrote Yossi Matias, vice president of engineering and research at Google. “Our AI-based recommendations work with existing infrastructure and traffic systems, and city engineers can monitor the impact.” And see results within weeks.”
Some of the insights that Google’s artificial intelligence can provide include how the timing of traffic lights can be changed, or how traffic lights at different intersections can be linked, in order to keep vehicles moving more smoothly throughout the day and night.
The Green Light Project is now in 12 cities and four continents around the world, such as Seattle, Rio de Janeiro, Manchester, Hamburg, Budapest, Abu Dhabi, Jakarta and Bali.