Web-based system creates virtual world for transport planners

A significant increase in the number of vehicles on the roads, the dramatic traffic congestion problems, and the increase in freight logistics costs have precipitated the need for NyendaWeb, a sophisticated internet-based transport information system. According to Kobus Labuschagne, CSIR research group leader: intelligent systems and traffic management, this flagship project is set to change the face of the transport industry in the next few years. “We are very ambitious with this project. It is definitely not just another super-duper, extra special transport database.” According to Labuschagne, NyendaWeb (derived from the Tswana word meaning mobility) will enable transport experts to create virtual incidents and predict outcomes. “We want to take the empirical data and present it as the real world in a virtual world in the lab. Practically, that means before you build a road you can check your interventions, your traffic management programmes, whatever your needs are long before even implementing.” Speaking at the monthly Transport Forum in Woodmead, Johannesburg last week, Labuschagne said NyendaWeb was developing intelligent systems for a high performance network based on the Sensor Web concept. “The need for improved access to transport- and trafficrelated data, particularly for research and development purposes, but also for transport planning and traffic operations and management, makes NyendaWeb necessary. We also need to better utilise the vast amounts of data that are becoming available.” Labuschagne said NyendaWeb would impact in a variety of ways, lowering freight logistics costs and making available real-time traffic and road data in an integrated information infrastructure.