Challenge 7: Traffic Navigation Application (Intellimaps)

Expression: Product Development

Challenge Statement

Urban traffic congestion has become a persistent crisis, leading to massive economic loss,
increased pollution, and diminished quality of life for citizens. Current navigation tools, while
efficient for the individual, operate on a shortest-path-first principle. This results in all users
being aggregated onto the same main roads at the same peak times, thereby creating and
exacerbating the very gridlock they are meant to solve. We need a system that prioritizes the
collective good of the city’s traffic flow over the individual’s immediate preference.

Challenge Owner

Isaac
As a Data Scientist with a passion for building up the church and seeking first the kingdom of
God, Isaac loves solving problems, developing solutions, and helping people flourish. With his
technical insights, kingdom perspective, and love for driving, Isaac hopes to make this world a
better place by redeeming time and getting people places more efficiently.

Context

The solution to congestion is not always building more roads, but optimizing the use of existing
infrastructure by influencing driver behavior. Research indicates that even a minor 10-15% shift
in commuter timing or route choice can lead to disproportionately large (20-30%) improvements
in overall network efficiency.
Intellimaps is designed to fill the gap left by current navigation platforms. It will operate as a
system-level optimization engine that uses advanced predictive AI to identify future congestion
points. Crucially, it will then proactively deploy personalized recommendations (nudges) based
on the following core strategies:

• Time-Shift Nudges: Users receive alerts suggesting they delay or expedite their
  journey by a specific, minimal time frame (e.g., “Leave 15 minutes later to save 20
  minutes of total travel time”) to avoid a predicted peak-hour surge.
• Route-Shift Nudges: The system intelligently routes a percentage of users through
  less-traveled secondary or tertiary roads, even if the calculated distance is marginally
  longer. This strategic load distribution reduces choke points on primary arteries,
  improving overall network speed and reliability.
• Make an appeal to the user to leverage public transport if a reasonable route is
  available.
• Create a car pooling map for churches and other groups with shared destinations to
  leverage
  The system will leverage real-time traffic camera data, historical patterns, and weather/event information to calculate the “socially optimal” route, offering users incentives (e.g., gamification, minor toll discounts) to encourage adherence to the nudges. The system will also review public transport availability and options and provide the user with an appealing plan of action to encourage use of public transport, including the automatic purchasing of metro tickets and booking of cabs.
  Finally, the system will have a feature for people with shared destinations to car pool based on their route and people’s locations. If users are within 10 minutes of another user’s route, the system will recommend a car pool request and provide pick up point and updated route.

Desired Outcomes

To develop and pilot a scalable, city-wide platform that demonstrates tangible, measurable
improvements in traffic flow by successfully influencing commuter behavior.
By the end of the pilot project, we aim to:

• Reduce Peak-Hour Average Commute Time by 15% in the designated pilot zone
  within 12 months.
• Increase the use of secondary road networks by a sustained 5% during peak hours for
  efficient load balancing.
• Develop a real-time Congestion Impact Score (CIS) dashboard for city managers,
  providing actionable insights for immediate traffic flow adjustments.
  Our main goal is to be a blessing to our community for the glory of God by redeeming wasted time in traffic, creating a more pleasant journey experience for the citizens, and reducing pollution by reducing traffic and engine running time.