Traffic Alert system Project Overview/proposal
I have been thinking of a traffic alert system, which we can implement. I have thought up a brief project overview and proposal which i have attached here. Please feel free to add your own thoughts. What we mainly need to do is determine whether the project is feasible, ie do people really need such a system. Looking forward to your input *Project Overview* TRAFFIC ALERT SYSTEM *Mission and Scope* What problem does this project address? This project is meant to address the problems associated with traffic flow in Nairobi and other African cities. This is by sms alerts of traffic conditions on the roads. What is the goal of this project? To reduce the amount of time spent by drivers/passengers on the road by enabling feeding them with info which enables them choose alternative travel time/ alternative roads What is the scope of this project? The system will get input from several points on a road to a central server. The input will be flow of traffic at the point of the road, e.g. At X roundabout flow is approximately 2 kph. The flow ill be mapped on to consecutive points of the road, such that for road Y, flow ill be represented as : 5, 7, 20, 50 , 30, 10, 5 , 60 (kph) from the beginning point to end point. By using the known distance of the road, the system can calculate average travel time e.g. [5, 7, 20, 50 , 30, 10, 5 , 60 (kph)], [10,15,20,25,32,44, 50, 55 (mins)] in increasing minutes from starting point to end point; for our example, the project would take 55 minutes. For distances between points, subtract your starting point from end point. The input will rely on one of the following, amongst other potential suggestions: - Speed Camera feeds/speed radar which takes the average speed of vehicles passing through a certain point and transmits it to a central point. - Use of mobile phone concentration in an area and rate of switch from one BTS to another. This would require writing of appropriate algorithms that ensure that only mobile phones on a road are considered, and interference from pedestrians or mobs on a road are ignored. It would also require support of a mobile telco. - Physical inputs from hired humans or volunteers who transmit traffic conditions to a central room. Other humans at the central room analyse the traffic and come up with require information. This method is inefficient, unreliable and prone to human error and inconsistency. - Use of satellite ?? (beyond our scope?) What development methodology is being used? ?? Where should a new team member start? A new member can join the development process at any stage. It is recommended that they have background info though. *Status* The project is currently in the proposal/requirements gathering stage. *Project Proposal* *Project Information* *Project:*TRAFFIC ALERT SYSTEM*Project Time-frame:*01/10/09 - ?*Summary:*A project meant to help travellers predict their ETA and plan their journeys by passing prevailing traffic conditions to them.*Attached Worksheets:*Project Overview*Related Documents:*Project Plan *Process impact:* This proposal, along with drafts of related documents, will be used by skunks to determine whether or not to approve work on this project. A clear and precise project plan helps set expectations that will be used later to evaluate the success of the project. *Background and Motivation* TODO: Replace the example text below with text that describes your project. What are the needs or problems that you are trying to address? Why do these needs (still) exist? Why are these problems worth solving? Who is the customer? Write 2-4 paragraphs. What is the setting and history behind this project? Traffic on roads leading to Nairobi City Centre has been characterised with traffic jams. The traffic jams are no longer restricted to peak times only, but occur at any time of the day, and with varying degree. Radio stations have been having traffic alerts, but this give little insight and sketchy information. Drivers and passengers may need more detailed information. What is the problem to be addressed? Traffic jams can range from less than a kilometre to many kilometres. Thus time taken on a journey can range from minutes to several hours for the same distance. By having information on real time traffic, travellers can leave earlier, postpone appointments or cancel journeys. What are some current approaches to this problem? Traffic alerts are broadcast over FM radio at peak hours. In several cities, users are able to access real traffic information via Google Maps. Why is this problem worth solving or worth solving better? Travellers should be able to have detailed information such that they are able to visualise exact traffic flow on their roads and approximate how long it would take to travel. They can also prioritise their travel arrangements based on this info. How will this product be better than previous approaches? Traffic alerts will give the average speed of traffic at sections of a road, e.g. Globe, Parklands, Pangani round about, Muthaiga round about etc for Thika Road; GPO roundabout, Kobil Round About, Stadium Round about, Capital centre for Mombasa Road. This is better than saying “Mombasa road is busy and slow”. By approximating journey times, travellers will make appropriate decisions on how to travel, e.g. Arrange to be picked up if their ETA is late at night on public transport, postpone their travel if traffic flow is approximately 0kph maybe due to an accident. Where is there more information on this problem? There is a traffic alert system in Lagos, Nigeria which relies on human generated data. This is done by a group of motorcycle riders who move from point to point analysing traffic. *Goal* *What is the goal of this project?* *TIP: This should be relatively short since you can reference terms defined above.* *This project will give real time traffic conditions on a road enabling prediction od travel times and help in travel arrangement..* *What are the defining features and benefits of this product?* - Real time traffic alerts including average traffic speed and journey times - All users need is a mobile phone, not necessarily a smart phone or low end phone. Alerts will be transmitted via SMS alerts. This can be scaled up to traffic mapping for smart phones and computers. - Generation of income can be done by use or premium rate sms services or/coupled with paid adverts included in sms alert. The service can also be subscription based with twice a day(or other desired frequency) alerts at a given time for a certain road *Scope* TODO: Replace the sample text below with a clear statement of the scope of your project. What are the high-level things that you plan to do, and that you will not do? What are your important simplifying assumptions? Try to guard against reasonable misunderstandings that might arise if you did not explain the scope. It can take the form of a paragraph, bullet list, in/out list, and/or UML context diagram. The focus of the project is a server that collects prevailing traffic information and uses it to map traffic flow on a road. - Provide SMS alerts to any phone detailing traffic flow and Estimated Times of Arrival. - Cheap enough to be used by both Passengers and Drivers over and over again. - Information provided can be integrated into other applications - Information can be important to matatu operators, traffic police *In Scope**Out of Scope*Use of a comparatively inexpensive system to monitor traffic flow e.g cameras, speed radars , human transmission, or anonymous mobile phone triangulationUse of satellite technology to monitor trafficTransmit information via simple SMS alertRequire a java enabled phone or smart phone that allows downloading an application to get traffic feedsOther applications are able to draw information from the systemHighly integrated system that requires extra work to provide information to other systemsEasy to use, one time request or subscription basedRequires an instruction manual to use. Automatic subscription which requires administrator intervention to unsubscribe.High scalability, able to handle a few thousand requests per hourOnly able to provide a fixed number of requests per hourCheap to use, at most Kes 10 per sms. Preferably Kes 5 or lower. Subscription costs can be quite low e.g. 100 Kes per monthQuite costly for most Kenyans to afford ; upwards of Kes 10 per smsSMS alerts can be coupled with advertisements. Advertisers pay per certain number of random sms, can target certain roadsTargeting of Ads on features other than location. *Deliverables* TODO: Briefly list project deliverables. When you are done, what will you deliver to the customer? This can be copied from the draft project plan and simplified to reduce technical detail. - SMS alerts - Subscription based SMS alerts - SMS based advertising *Risks and Rewards* TODO: Briefly list and rank major risks. Risks are detailed in the draft project plan. For this proposal document, you should select the most important risks from the project plan and explain them in non-technical terms. What are the main risks of this project? 1. The System may require massive capital injection that will require a long time to recoup 2. Government Requirements and policies. The project may be hampered by massive startup fees and operation charges. 3. Travellers may not really require a traffic alert system, leading to under utilisation of the system. 4. Ongoing road constructions will mean that data gathering points will have to be relocated from time to time What are the main rewards if this project succeeds? 1. The project can be self sustaining from revenue generated from sms/subscription charges. 2. Advertising revenue will result in profitability of the project 3. Better planning travel arrangements for those using city roads. *Project Plan* ************* Continuation of the project to this stage and beyond will be determined by determination of user requirements ie: - Do travellers really need such a system or is it a white elephant. This can be done by mailing list readers giving their views and those of people around them. - If users need the system, which is the best and easiest way to implement it amongst those detailed in the project scope. -- with Regards: Lessons we learn from from friends we lost to misdiagnosed illnesses; at my blog: http://gramware.blogspot.com
Hi dennis, Interesting overview.. There was a discussion sometimes ago on a similar system (in response to a question I raised) sometimes ago. I'm not sure how far that has gone. (Some of the info - http://lists.my.co.ke/pipermail/skunkworks/2009-April/000253.html) Use of satellite ?? (beyond our scope?) -> maybe not quite ... just needs many people with GPS capable phones. I've used my android phone + an application called my tracks to track a few of my trips, and some of the information I get includes an average speed, min speed, max speed. -- Josiah Mugambi Stephen Leacock<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/stephen_leacock.html> - "I detest life-insurance agents: they always argue that I shall some day die, which is not so." On Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 3:02 PM, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi@gmail.com> wrote:
I have been thinking of a traffic alert system, which we can implement. I have thought up a brief project overview and proposal which i have attached here. Please feel free to add your own thoughts. What we mainly need to do is determine whether the project is feasible, ie do people really need such a system. Looking forward to your input
*Project Overview*
TRAFFIC ALERT SYSTEM
*Mission and Scope*
What problem does this project address?
This project is meant to address the problems associated with traffic flow in Nairobi and other African cities. This is by sms alerts of traffic conditions on the roads.
What is the goal of this project?
To reduce the amount of time spent by drivers/passengers on the road by enabling feeding them with info which enables them choose alternative travel time/ alternative roads
What is the scope of this project?
The system will get input from several points on a road to a central server. The input will be flow of traffic at the point of the road, e.g. At X roundabout flow is approximately 2 kph. The flow ill be mapped on to consecutive points of the road, such that for road Y, flow ill be represented as : 5, 7, 20, 50 , 30, 10, 5 , 60 (kph) from the beginning point to end point. By using the known distance of the road, the system can calculate average travel time e.g. [5, 7, 20, 50 , 30, 10, 5 , 60 (kph)], [10,15,20,25,32,44, 50, 55 (mins)] in increasing minutes from starting point to end point; for our example, the project would take 55 minutes. For distances between points, subtract your starting point from end point.
The input will rely on one of the following, amongst other potential suggestions:
- Speed Camera feeds/speed radar which takes the average speed of vehicles passing through a certain point and transmits it to a central point. - Use of mobile phone concentration in an area and rate of switch from one BTS to another. This would require writing of appropriate algorithms that ensure that only mobile phones on a road are considered, and interference from pedestrians or mobs on a road are ignored. It would also require support of a mobile telco. - Physical inputs from hired humans or volunteers who transmit traffic conditions to a central room. Other humans at the central room analyse the traffic and come up with require information. This method is inefficient, unreliable and prone to human error and inconsistency. - Use of satellite ?? (beyond our scope?)
What development methodology is being used?
??
Where should a new team member start?
A new member can join the development process at any stage. It is recommended that they have background info though.
*Status*
The project is currently in the proposal/requirements gathering stage.
*Project Proposal*
*Project Information* *Project:* TRAFFIC ALERT SYSTEM *Project Time-frame:* 01/10/09 - ? * Summary:* A project meant to help travellers predict their ETA and plan their journeys by passing prevailing traffic conditions to them. *Attached Worksheets:* Project Overview *Related Documents:* Project Plan
*Process impact:* This proposal, along with drafts of related documents, will be used by skunks to determine whether or not to approve work on this project. A clear and precise project plan helps set expectations that will be used later to evaluate the success of the project.
*Background and Motivation*
TODO: Replace the example text below with text that describes your project. What are the needs or problems that you are trying to address? Why do these needs (still) exist? Why are these problems worth solving? Who is the customer? Write 2-4 paragraphs.
What is the setting and history behind this project?
Traffic on roads leading to Nairobi City Centre has been characterised with traffic jams. The traffic jams are no longer restricted to peak times only, but occur at any time of the day, and with varying degree. Radio stations have been having traffic alerts, but this give little insight and sketchy information. Drivers and passengers may need more detailed information.
What is the problem to be addressed?
Traffic jams can range from less than a kilometre to many kilometres. Thus time taken on a journey can range from minutes to several hours for the same distance. By having information on real time traffic, travellers can leave earlier, postpone appointments or cancel journeys.
What are some current approaches to this problem?
Traffic alerts are broadcast over FM radio at peak hours. In several cities, users are able to access real traffic information via Google Maps.
Why is this problem worth solving or worth solving better?
Travellers should be able to have detailed information such that they are able to visualise exact traffic flow on their roads and approximate how long it would take to travel. They can also prioritise their travel arrangements based on this info.
How will this product be better than previous approaches?
Traffic alerts will give the average speed of traffic at sections of a road, e.g. Globe, Parklands, Pangani round about, Muthaiga round about etc for Thika Road; GPO roundabout, Kobil Round About, Stadium Round about, Capital centre for Mombasa Road. This is better than saying “Mombasa road is busy and slow”. By approximating journey times, travellers will make appropriate decisions on how to travel, e.g. Arrange to be picked up if their ETA is late at night on public transport, postpone their travel if traffic flow is approximately 0kph maybe due to an accident.
Where is there more information on this problem?
There is a traffic alert system in Lagos, Nigeria which relies on human generated data. This is done by a group of motorcycle riders who move from point to point analysing traffic.
*Goal*
*What is the goal of this project?*
*TIP: This should be relatively short since you can reference terms defined above.*
*This project will give real time traffic conditions on a road enabling prediction od travel times and help in travel arrangement..*
*What are the defining features and benefits of this product?*
- Real time traffic alerts including average traffic speed and journey times - All users need is a mobile phone, not necessarily a smart phone or low end phone. Alerts will be transmitted via SMS alerts. This can be scaled up to traffic mapping for smart phones and computers. - Generation of income can be done by use or premium rate sms services or/coupled with paid adverts included in sms alert. The service can also be subscription based with twice a day(or other desired frequency) alerts at a given time for a certain road
*Scope*
TODO: Replace the sample text below with a clear statement of the scope of your project. What are the high-level things that you plan to do, and that you will not do? What are your important simplifying assumptions? Try to guard against reasonable misunderstandings that might arise if you did not explain the scope. It can take the form of a paragraph, bullet list, in/out list, and/or UML context diagram.
The focus of the project is a server that collects prevailing traffic information and uses it to map traffic flow on a road.
- Provide SMS alerts to any phone detailing traffic flow and Estimated Times of Arrival. - Cheap enough to be used by both Passengers and Drivers over and over again. - Information provided can be integrated into other applications - Information can be important to matatu operators, traffic police
*In Scope* *Out of Scope* Use of a comparatively inexpensive system to monitor traffic flow e.g cameras, speed radars , human transmission, or anonymous mobile phone triangulation Use of satellite technology to monitor traffic Transmit information via simple SMS alert Require a java enabled phone or smart phone that allows downloading an application to get traffic feeds Other applications are able to draw information from the system Highly integrated system that requires extra work to provide information to other systems Easy to use, one time request or subscription based Requires an instruction manual to use. Automatic subscription which requires administrator intervention to unsubscribe. High scalability, able to handle a few thousand requests per hour Only able to provide a fixed number of requests per hour Cheap to use, at most Kes 10 per sms. Preferably Kes 5 or lower. Subscription costs can be quite low e.g. 100 Kes per month Quite costly for most Kenyans to afford ; upwards of Kes 10 per sms SMS alerts can be coupled with advertisements. Advertisers pay per certain number of random sms, can target certain roads Targeting of Ads on features other than location.
*Deliverables*
TODO: Briefly list project deliverables. When you are done, what will you deliver to the customer? This can be copied from the draft project plan and simplified to reduce technical detail.
- SMS alerts - Subscription based SMS alerts - SMS based advertising
*Risks and Rewards*
TODO: Briefly list and rank major risks. Risks are detailed in the draft project plan. For this proposal document, you should select the most important risks from the project plan and explain them in non-technical terms.
What are the main risks of this project?
1. The System may require massive capital injection that will require a long time to recoup 2. Government Requirements and policies. The project may be hampered by massive startup fees and operation charges. 3. Travellers may not really require a traffic alert system, leading to under utilisation of the system. 4. Ongoing road constructions will mean that data gathering points will have to be relocated from time to time
What are the main rewards if this project succeeds?
1. The project can be self sustaining from revenue generated from sms/subscription charges. 2. Advertising revenue will result in profitability of the project 3. Better planning travel arrangements for those using city roads.
*Project Plan*
*************
Continuation of the project to this stage and beyond will be determined by determination of user requirements ie:
- Do travellers really need such a system or is it a white elephant. This can be done by mailing list readers giving their views and those of people around them. - If users need the system, which is the best and easiest way to implement it amongst those detailed in the project scope.
-- with Regards:
Lessons we learn from from friends we lost to misdiagnosed illnesses; at my blog: http://gramware.blogspot.com
_______________________________________________ Skunkworks mailing list Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks Other services @ http://my.co.ke Other lists ------------- Announce: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks-announce Science: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/science kazi: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/admin/kazi/general
I have looked at it and drawn several similarities and a bit more info. my views is that one of the telco companies has to be a major shareholder, either a mobile phone service provider or a fiber carrier on the roads. I was looking at establishing the easiest to implement and high automation such that the system does not rely on human input On 01/10/2009, Josiah Mugambi <jmugambi@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi dennis,
Interesting overview.. There was a discussion sometimes ago on a similar system (in response to a question I raised) sometimes ago. I'm not sure how far that has gone. (Some of the info - http://lists.my.co.ke/pipermail/skunkworks/2009-April/000253.html)
Use of satellite ?? (beyond our scope?) -> maybe not quite ... just needs many people with GPS capable phones. I've used my android phone + an application called my tracks to track a few of my trips, and some of the information I get includes an average speed, min speed, max speed.
-- Josiah Mugambi Stephen Leacock<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/stephen_leacock.html> - "I detest life-insurance agents: they always argue that I shall some day die, which is not so."
On Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 3:02 PM, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi@gmail.com> wrote:
I have been thinking of a traffic alert system, which we can implement. I have thought up a brief project overview and proposal which i have attached here. Please feel free to add your own thoughts. What we mainly need to do is determine whether the project is feasible, ie do people really need such a system. Looking forward to your input
*Project Overview*
TRAFFIC ALERT SYSTEM
*Mission and Scope*
What problem does this project address?
This project is meant to address the problems associated with traffic flow in Nairobi and other African cities. This is by sms alerts of traffic conditions on the roads.
What is the goal of this project?
To reduce the amount of time spent by drivers/passengers on the road by enabling feeding them with info which enables them choose alternative travel time/ alternative roads
What is the scope of this project?
The system will get input from several points on a road to a central server. The input will be flow of traffic at the point of the road, e.g. At X roundabout flow is approximately 2 kph. The flow ill be mapped on to consecutive points of the road, such that for road Y, flow ill be represented as : 5, 7, 20, 50 , 30, 10, 5 , 60 (kph) from the beginning point to end point. By using the known distance of the road, the system can calculate average travel time e.g. [5, 7, 20, 50 , 30, 10, 5 , 60 (kph)], [10,15,20,25,32,44, 50, 55 (mins)] in increasing minutes from starting point to end point; for our example, the project would take 55 minutes. For distances between points, subtract your starting point from end point.
The input will rely on one of the following, amongst other potential suggestions:
- Speed Camera feeds/speed radar which takes the average speed of vehicles passing through a certain point and transmits it to a central point. - Use of mobile phone concentration in an area and rate of switch from one BTS to another. This would require writing of appropriate algorithms that ensure that only mobile phones on a road are considered, and interference from pedestrians or mobs on a road are ignored. It would also require support of a mobile telco. - Physical inputs from hired humans or volunteers who transmit traffic conditions to a central room. Other humans at the central room analyse the traffic and come up with require information. This method is inefficient, unreliable and prone to human error and inconsistency. - Use of satellite ?? (beyond our scope?)
What development methodology is being used?
??
Where should a new team member start?
A new member can join the development process at any stage. It is recommended that they have background info though.
*Status*
The project is currently in the proposal/requirements gathering stage.
*Project Proposal*
*Project Information* *Project:* TRAFFIC ALERT SYSTEM *Project Time-frame:* 01/10/09 - ? * Summary:* A project meant to help travellers predict their ETA and plan their journeys by passing prevailing traffic conditions to them. *Attached Worksheets:* Project Overview *Related Documents:* Project Plan
*Process impact:* This proposal, along with drafts of related documents, will be used by skunks to determine whether or not to approve work on this project. A clear and precise project plan helps set expectations that will be used later to evaluate the success of the project.
*Background and Motivation*
TODO: Replace the example text below with text that describes your project. What are the needs or problems that you are trying to address? Why do these needs (still) exist? Why are these problems worth solving? Who is the customer? Write 2-4 paragraphs.
What is the setting and history behind this project?
Traffic on roads leading to Nairobi City Centre has been characterised with traffic jams. The traffic jams are no longer restricted to peak times only, but occur at any time of the day, and with varying degree. Radio stations have been having traffic alerts, but this give little insight and sketchy information. Drivers and passengers may need more detailed information.
What is the problem to be addressed?
Traffic jams can range from less than a kilometre to many kilometres. Thus time taken on a journey can range from minutes to several hours for the same distance. By having information on real time traffic, travellers can leave earlier, postpone appointments or cancel journeys.
What are some current approaches to this problem?
Traffic alerts are broadcast over FM radio at peak hours. In several cities, users are able to access real traffic information via Google Maps.
Why is this problem worth solving or worth solving better?
Travellers should be able to have detailed information such that they are able to visualise exact traffic flow on their roads and approximate how long it would take to travel. They can also prioritise their travel arrangements based on this info.
How will this product be better than previous approaches?
Traffic alerts will give the average speed of traffic at sections of a road, e.g. Globe, Parklands, Pangani round about, Muthaiga round about etc for Thika Road; GPO roundabout, Kobil Round About, Stadium Round about, Capital centre for Mombasa Road. This is better than saying “Mombasa road is busy and slow”. By approximating journey times, travellers will make appropriate decisions on how to travel, e.g. Arrange to be picked up if their ETA is late at night on public transport, postpone their travel if traffic flow is approximately 0kph maybe due to an accident.
Where is there more information on this problem?
There is a traffic alert system in Lagos, Nigeria which relies on human generated data. This is done by a group of motorcycle riders who move from point to point analysing traffic.
*Goal*
*What is the goal of this project?*
*TIP: This should be relatively short since you can reference terms defined above.*
*This project will give real time traffic conditions on a road enabling prediction od travel times and help in travel arrangement..*
*What are the defining features and benefits of this product?*
- Real time traffic alerts including average traffic speed and journey times - All users need is a mobile phone, not necessarily a smart phone or low end phone. Alerts will be transmitted via SMS alerts. This can be scaled up to traffic mapping for smart phones and computers. - Generation of income can be done by use or premium rate sms services or/coupled with paid adverts included in sms alert. The service can also be subscription based with twice a day(or other desired frequency) alerts at a given time for a certain road
*Scope*
TODO: Replace the sample text below with a clear statement of the scope of your project. What are the high-level things that you plan to do, and that you will not do? What are your important simplifying assumptions? Try to guard against reasonable misunderstandings that might arise if you did not explain the scope. It can take the form of a paragraph, bullet list, in/out list, and/or UML context diagram.
The focus of the project is a server that collects prevailing traffic information and uses it to map traffic flow on a road.
- Provide SMS alerts to any phone detailing traffic flow and Estimated Times of Arrival. - Cheap enough to be used by both Passengers and Drivers over and over again. - Information provided can be integrated into other applications - Information can be important to matatu operators, traffic police
*In Scope* *Out of Scope* Use of a comparatively inexpensive system to monitor traffic flow e.g cameras, speed radars , human transmission, or anonymous mobile phone triangulation Use of satellite technology to monitor traffic Transmit information via simple SMS alert Require a java enabled phone or smart phone that allows downloading an application to get traffic feeds Other applications are able to draw information from the system Highly integrated system that requires extra work to provide information to other systems Easy to use, one time request or subscription based Requires an instruction manual to use. Automatic subscription which requires administrator intervention to unsubscribe. High scalability, able to handle a few thousand requests per hour Only able to provide a fixed number of requests per hour Cheap to use, at most Kes 10 per sms. Preferably Kes 5 or lower. Subscription costs can be quite low e.g. 100 Kes per month Quite costly for most Kenyans to afford ; upwards of Kes 10 per sms SMS alerts can be coupled with advertisements. Advertisers pay per certain number of random sms, can target certain roads Targeting of Ads on features other than location.
*Deliverables*
TODO: Briefly list project deliverables. When you are done, what will you deliver to the customer? This can be copied from the draft project plan and simplified to reduce technical detail.
- SMS alerts - Subscription based SMS alerts - SMS based advertising
*Risks and Rewards*
TODO: Briefly list and rank major risks. Risks are detailed in the draft project plan. For this proposal document, you should select the most important risks from the project plan and explain them in non-technical terms.
What are the main risks of this project?
1. The System may require massive capital injection that will require a long time to recoup 2. Government Requirements and policies. The project may be hampered by massive startup fees and operation charges. 3. Travellers may not really require a traffic alert system, leading to under utilisation of the system. 4. Ongoing road constructions will mean that data gathering points will have to be relocated from time to time
What are the main rewards if this project succeeds?
1. The project can be self sustaining from revenue generated from sms/subscription charges. 2. Advertising revenue will result in profitability of the project 3. Better planning travel arrangements for those using city roads.
*Project Plan*
*************
Continuation of the project to this stage and beyond will be determined by determination of user requirements ie:
- Do travellers really need such a system or is it a white elephant. This can be done by mailing list readers giving their views and those of people around them. - If users need the system, which is the best and easiest way to implement it amongst those detailed in the project scope.
-- with Regards:
Lessons we learn from from friends we lost to misdiagnosed illnesses; at my blog: http://gramware.blogspot.com
_______________________________________________ Skunkworks mailing list Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks Other services @ http://my.co.ke Other lists ------------- Announce: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks-announce Science: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/science kazi: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/admin/kazi/general
-- with Regards: Lessons we learn from from friends we lost to misdiagnosed illnesses; at my blog: http://gramware.blogspot.com
@Dennis We have been working on such a project - and just an hour ago, we gave a demonstration to 4 permanent secretaries of the government and officials from BPO, ICT board, university, education and other private sectors [including the media]... When we first proposed the project - there was a lot of enthusiasm, but enthusiasm waned and we failed to get commitment from skunk members... So after speaking with Phares [the moderator] and a few others, I decided to 'employ' students from catholic university and university students to execute the plans or dreams... Skunks interested and with diverse talents were to be involved later [if they are interested] since we will be having something more concrete to work with... We have began from a different approach [being an electrical engineer] - we decided to construct a small scale round about with moving and controlled traffic where we shall be collecting real time data.... [we also have other ideas but we felt it was prudent to have an actual small scale model of what we want in real life situation] For more information, please visit University of Nairobi 'FabLab' that is hosted by Dr. Gachigi, there you will find the humble launch of the project so far... W/regards Stephen N.
Great stuff Stephen. I should pay the Professor a visit sometimes. -- Josiah Mugambi Jonathan Swift<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jonathan_swift.html> - "May you live every day of your life." On Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 5:12 PM, ndungu stephen <ndungustephen@gmail.com>wrote:
@Dennis
We have been working on such a project - and just an hour ago, we gave a demonstration to 4 permanent secretaries of the government and officials from BPO, ICT board, university, education and other private sectors [including the media]...
When we first proposed the project - there was a lot of enthusiasm, but enthusiasm waned and we failed to get commitment from skunk members...
So after speaking with Phares [the moderator] and a few others, I decided to 'employ' students from catholic university and university students to execute the plans or dreams... Skunks interested and with diverse talents were to be involved later [if they are interested] since we will be having something more concrete to work with...
We have began from a different approach [being an electrical engineer] - we decided to construct a small scale round about with moving and controlled traffic where we shall be collecting real time data....
[we also have other ideas but we felt it was prudent to have an actual small scale model of what we want in real life situation]
For more information, please visit University of Nairobi 'FabLab' that is hosted by Dr. Gachigi, there you will find the humble launch of the project so far...
W/regards Stephen N.
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i think we can therefore close the project in favour of the fab labs one. 2009/10/1 Josiah Mugambi <jmugambi@gmail.com>
Great stuff Stephen. I should pay the Professor a visit sometimes. -- Josiah Mugambi Jonathan Swift<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jonathan_swift.html> - "May you live every day of your life."
On Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 5:12 PM, ndungu stephen <ndungustephen@gmail.com>wrote:
@Dennis
We have been working on such a project - and just an hour ago, we gave a demonstration to 4 permanent secretaries of the government and officials from BPO, ICT board, university, education and other private sectors [including the media]...
When we first proposed the project - there was a lot of enthusiasm, but enthusiasm waned and we failed to get commitment from skunk members...
So after speaking with Phares [the moderator] and a few others, I decided to 'employ' students from catholic university and university students to execute the plans or dreams... Skunks interested and with diverse talents were to be involved later [if they are interested] since we will be having something more concrete to work with...
We have began from a different approach [being an electrical engineer] - we decided to construct a small scale round about with moving and controlled traffic where we shall be collecting real time data....
[we also have other ideas but we felt it was prudent to have an actual small scale model of what we want in real life situation]
For more information, please visit University of Nairobi 'FabLab' that is hosted by Dr. Gachigi, there you will find the humble launch of the project so far...
W/regards Stephen N.
_______________________________________________ Skunkworks mailing list Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks Other services @ http://my.co.ke Other lists ------------- Announce: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks-announce Science: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/science kazi: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/admin/kazi/general
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-- with Regards: Lessons we learn from from friends we lost to misdiagnosed illnesses; at my blog: http://gramware.blogspot.com
Dennis, you could maybe consider joining up with that team, now that you had put quite some thought into it. -- Josiah Mugambi Jonathan Swift<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jonathan_swift.html> - "May you live every day of your life." On Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 10:18 PM, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi@gmail.com> wrote:
i think we can therefore close the project in favour of the fab labs one.
2009/10/1 Josiah Mugambi <jmugambi@gmail.com>
Great stuff Stephen. I should pay the Professor a visit sometimes.
-- Josiah Mugambi Jonathan Swift<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jonathan_swift.html> - "May you live every day of your life."
On Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 5:12 PM, ndungu stephen <ndungustephen@gmail.com>wrote:
@Dennis
We have been working on such a project - and just an hour ago, we gave a demonstration to 4 permanent secretaries of the government and officials from BPO, ICT board, university, education and other private sectors [including the media]...
When we first proposed the project - there was a lot of enthusiasm, but enthusiasm waned and we failed to get commitment from skunk members...
So after speaking with Phares [the moderator] and a few others, I decided to 'employ' students from catholic university and university students to execute the plans or dreams... Skunks interested and with diverse talents were to be involved later [if they are interested] since we will be having something more concrete to work with...
We have began from a different approach [being an electrical engineer] - we decided to construct a small scale round about with moving and controlled traffic where we shall be collecting real time data....
[we also have other ideas but we felt it was prudent to have an actual small scale model of what we want in real life situation]
For more information, please visit University of Nairobi 'FabLab' that is hosted by Dr. Gachigi, there you will find the humble launch of the project so far...
W/regards Stephen N.
_______________________________________________ Skunkworks mailing list Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks Other services @ http://my.co.ke Other lists ------------- Announce: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks-announce Science: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/science kazi: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/admin/kazi/general
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-- with Regards:
Lessons we learn from from friends we lost to misdiagnosed illnesses; at my blog: http://gramware.blogspot.com
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I will. 2009/10/2 Josiah Mugambi <jmugambi@gmail.com>
Dennis, you could maybe consider joining up with that team, now that you had put quite some thought into it. -- Josiah Mugambi Jonathan Swift<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jonathan_swift.html> - "May you live every day of your life."
On Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 10:18 PM, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi@gmail.com> wrote:
i think we can therefore close the project in favour of the fab labs one.
2009/10/1 Josiah Mugambi <jmugambi@gmail.com>
Great stuff Stephen. I should pay the Professor a visit sometimes.
-- Josiah Mugambi Jonathan Swift<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jonathan_swift.html> - "May you live every day of your life."
On Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 5:12 PM, ndungu stephen <ndungustephen@gmail.com>wrote:
@Dennis
We have been working on such a project - and just an hour ago, we gave a demonstration to 4 permanent secretaries of the government and officials from BPO, ICT board, university, education and other private sectors [including the media]...
When we first proposed the project - there was a lot of enthusiasm, but enthusiasm waned and we failed to get commitment from skunk members...
So after speaking with Phares [the moderator] and a few others, I decided to 'employ' students from catholic university and university students to execute the plans or dreams... Skunks interested and with diverse talents were to be involved later [if they are interested] since we will be having something more concrete to work with...
We have began from a different approach [being an electrical engineer] - we decided to construct a small scale round about with moving and controlled traffic where we shall be collecting real time data....
[we also have other ideas but we felt it was prudent to have an actual small scale model of what we want in real life situation]
For more information, please visit University of Nairobi 'FabLab' that is hosted by Dr. Gachigi, there you will find the humble launch of the project so far...
W/regards Stephen N.
_______________________________________________ Skunkworks mailing list Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks Other services @ http://my.co.ke Other lists ------------- Announce: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks-announce Science: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/science kazi: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/admin/kazi/general
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-- with Regards:
Lessons we learn from from friends we lost to misdiagnosed illnesses; at my blog: http://gramware.blogspot.com
_______________________________________________ Skunkworks mailing list Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks Other services @ http://my.co.ke Other lists ------------- Announce: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks-announce Science: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/science kazi: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/admin/kazi/general
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-- with Regards: Lessons we learn from from friends we lost to misdiagnosed illnesses; at my blog: http://gramware.blogspot.com
You are welcome, we need everyone we can get [who is actually interested in following this thing through].... We are still at a very early stage, but the early setup and those working on the model is already a commitment to see this thing through to the end... w/r stephen n.
Stephen; when, where do u guys meet up ? -- Josiah Mugambi Samuel Goldwyn<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/samuel_goldwyn.html> - "I'm willing to admit that I may not always be right, but I am never wrong." On Fri, Oct 2, 2009 at 10:03 AM, ndungu stephen <ndungustephen@gmail.com>wrote:
You are welcome, we need everyone we can get [who is actually interested in following this thing through]....
We are still at a very early stage, but the early setup and those working on the model is already a commitment to see this thing through to the end...
w/r stephen n.
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I am not in Kenya at the moment and wont be for a while. Is it possible for someone to be involved from a far off land? It was disturbing for me when i was in Nairobi a couple of weeks ago and this traffic cops had held up traffic on the round about of Nyayo stadium not knowing that from there up to the hail sellasie (or whatever its called) round about and onto kenyatta avenue round about was virtually devoid of traffic. I came in from langata and used that road with about 5 other cars and i was shocked. so the traffic at mombasa road and nyayo stadium was totally caused by human error SKYPE: sobbayi US: +1 202 470 0525 KE: +254 722 627 691 ndungu stephen wrote:
You are welcome, we need everyone we can get [who is actually interested in following this thing through]....
We are still at a very early stage, but the early setup and those working on the model is already a commitment to see this thing through to the end...
w/r stephen n. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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--
Yes you can, This is an open skunkworks project - and anybody can join - the ideas were discussed right here and conceptualized with a series of meetings - its just that we decided to "tie the bell around the cat" so that we can have a take off point and commitment... @Steve We are still in the very earliest stages of development [simulation] - we are going to begin testing and programming hardware sometime this week or next week - which should give us real time data.. STAGE 2: ========= Once we have the real time data, we will need experts in different fields to process this into useful information... On Sat, Oct 3, 2009 at 9:33 AM, Steve Obbayi <steve@sobbayi.com> wrote:
I am not in Kenya at the moment and wont be for a while. Is it possible for someone to be involved from a far off land? It was disturbing for me when i was in Nairobi a couple of weeks ago and this traffic cops had held up traffic on the round about of Nyayo stadium not knowing that from there up to the hail sellasie (or whatever its called) round about and onto kenyatta avenue round about was virtually devoid of traffic. I came in from langata and used that road with about 5 other cars and i was shocked. so the traffic at mombasa road and nyayo stadium was totally caused by human error
SKYPE: sobbayi US: +1 202 470 0525 KE: +254 722 627 691
ndungu stephen wrote:
You are welcome, we need everyone we can get [who is actually interested in following this thing through]....
We are still at a very early stage, but the early setup and those working on the model is already a commitment to see this thing through to the end...
w/r stephen n. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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--
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My late and slightly off topic but related, is probably involve someone from the Ministry of Roads such as the PS, because they are always in a position to provide some official viewpoints from the government perspective, which might be used to capitalize in making the project a reality, though much kudos to the initiator of this worthy idea. On 05/10/2009, ndungu stephen <ndungustephen@gmail.com> wrote:
Yes you can,
This is an open skunkworks project - and anybody can join - the ideas were discussed right here and conceptualized with a series of meetings - its just that we decided to "tie the bell around the cat" so that we can have a take off point and commitment...
@Steve We are still in the very earliest stages of development [simulation] - we are going to begin testing and programming hardware sometime this week or next week - which should give us real time data..
STAGE 2: =========
Once we have the real time data, we will need experts in different fields to process this into useful information...
On Sat, Oct 3, 2009 at 9:33 AM, Steve Obbayi <steve@sobbayi.com> wrote:
I am not in Kenya at the moment and wont be for a while. Is it possible for someone to be involved from a far off land? It was disturbing for me when i was in Nairobi a couple of weeks ago and this traffic cops had held up traffic on the round about of Nyayo stadium not knowing that from there up to the hail sellasie (or whatever its called) round about and onto kenyatta avenue round about was virtually devoid of traffic. I came in from langata and used that road with about 5 other cars and i was shocked. so the traffic at mombasa road and nyayo stadium was totally caused by human error
SKYPE: sobbayi US: +1 202 470 0525 KE: +254 722 627 691
ndungu stephen wrote:
You are welcome, we need everyone we can get [who is actually interested in following this thing through]....
We are still at a very early stage, but the early setup and those working on the model is already a commitment to see this thing through to the end...
w/r stephen n. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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--
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-- Solomon Mburu P.O. Box 19343 - 00202 Nairobi Cell: (+254-0) 735 431041 Man is a gregarious animal and enjoys agreement as cows will graze all the same way to the side of a hill! AND It is better to die in dignity than in the ignomity of ambiguous generosity! http://desires-and-dreams.blogspot.com https://smiley2.wordpress.com www.takingitglobal.org/mburu
Hey, To support you on this, I will provide you with a free connection for SMS during your test period. Thats if you need. Regards On Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 3:02 PM, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi@gmail.com> wrote:
I have been thinking of a traffic alert system, which we can implement. I have thought up a brief project overview and proposal which i have attached here. Please feel free to add your own thoughts. What we mainly need to do is determine whether the project is feasible, ie do people really need such a system. Looking forward to your input
*Project Overview*
TRAFFIC ALERT SYSTEM
*Mission and Scope*
What problem does this project address?
This project is meant to address the problems associated with traffic flow in Nairobi and other African cities. This is by sms alerts of traffic conditions on the roads.
What is the goal of this project?
To reduce the amount of time spent by drivers/passengers on the road by enabling feeding them with info which enables them choose alternative travel time/ alternative roads
What is the scope of this project?
The system will get input from several points on a road to a central server. The input will be flow of traffic at the point of the road, e.g. At X roundabout flow is approximately 2 kph. The flow ill be mapped on to consecutive points of the road, such that for road Y, flow ill be represented as : 5, 7, 20, 50 , 30, 10, 5 , 60 (kph) from the beginning point to end point. By using the known distance of the road, the system can calculate average travel time e.g. [5, 7, 20, 50 , 30, 10, 5 , 60 (kph)], [10,15,20,25,32,44, 50, 55 (mins)] in increasing minutes from starting point to end point; for our example, the project would take 55 minutes. For distances between points, subtract your starting point from end point.
The input will rely on one of the following, amongst other potential suggestions:
- Speed Camera feeds/speed radar which takes the average speed of vehicles passing through a certain point and transmits it to a central point. - Use of mobile phone concentration in an area and rate of switch from one BTS to another. This would require writing of appropriate algorithms that ensure that only mobile phones on a road are considered, and interference from pedestrians or mobs on a road are ignored. It would also require support of a mobile telco. - Physical inputs from hired humans or volunteers who transmit traffic conditions to a central room. Other humans at the central room analyse the traffic and come up with require information. This method is inefficient, unreliable and prone to human error and inconsistency. - Use of satellite ?? (beyond our scope?)
What development methodology is being used?
??
Where should a new team member start?
A new member can join the development process at any stage. It is recommended that they have background info though.
*Status*
The project is currently in the proposal/requirements gathering stage.
*Project Proposal*
*Project Information* *Project:* TRAFFIC ALERT SYSTEM *Project Time-frame:* 01/10/09 - ? * Summary:* A project meant to help travellers predict their ETA and plan their journeys by passing prevailing traffic conditions to them. *Attached Worksheets:* Project Overview *Related Documents:* Project Plan
*Process impact:* This proposal, along with drafts of related documents, will be used by skunks to determine whether or not to approve work on this project. A clear and precise project plan helps set expectations that will be used later to evaluate the success of the project.
*Background and Motivation*
TODO: Replace the example text below with text that describes your project. What are the needs or problems that you are trying to address? Why do these needs (still) exist? Why are these problems worth solving? Who is the customer? Write 2-4 paragraphs.
What is the setting and history behind this project?
Traffic on roads leading to Nairobi City Centre has been characterised with traffic jams. The traffic jams are no longer restricted to peak times only, but occur at any time of the day, and with varying degree. Radio stations have been having traffic alerts, but this give little insight and sketchy information. Drivers and passengers may need more detailed information.
What is the problem to be addressed?
Traffic jams can range from less than a kilometre to many kilometres. Thus time taken on a journey can range from minutes to several hours for the same distance. By having information on real time traffic, travellers can leave earlier, postpone appointments or cancel journeys.
What are some current approaches to this problem?
Traffic alerts are broadcast over FM radio at peak hours. In several cities, users are able to access real traffic information via Google Maps.
Why is this problem worth solving or worth solving better?
Travellers should be able to have detailed information such that they are able to visualise exact traffic flow on their roads and approximate how long it would take to travel. They can also prioritise their travel arrangements based on this info.
How will this product be better than previous approaches?
Traffic alerts will give the average speed of traffic at sections of a road, e.g. Globe, Parklands, Pangani round about, Muthaiga round about etc for Thika Road; GPO roundabout, Kobil Round About, Stadium Round about, Capital centre for Mombasa Road. This is better than saying “Mombasa road is busy and slow”. By approximating journey times, travellers will make appropriate decisions on how to travel, e.g. Arrange to be picked up if their ETA is late at night on public transport, postpone their travel if traffic flow is approximately 0kph maybe due to an accident.
Where is there more information on this problem?
There is a traffic alert system in Lagos, Nigeria which relies on human generated data. This is done by a group of motorcycle riders who move from point to point analysing traffic.
*Goal*
*What is the goal of this project?*
*TIP: This should be relatively short since you can reference terms defined above.*
*This project will give real time traffic conditions on a road enabling prediction od travel times and help in travel arrangement..*
*What are the defining features and benefits of this product?*
- Real time traffic alerts including average traffic speed and journey times - All users need is a mobile phone, not necessarily a smart phone or low end phone. Alerts will be transmitted via SMS alerts. This can be scaled up to traffic mapping for smart phones and computers. - Generation of income can be done by use or premium rate sms services or/coupled with paid adverts included in sms alert. The service can also be subscription based with twice a day(or other desired frequency) alerts at a given time for a certain road
*Scope*
TODO: Replace the sample text below with a clear statement of the scope of your project. What are the high-level things that you plan to do, and that you will not do? What are your important simplifying assumptions? Try to guard against reasonable misunderstandings that might arise if you did not explain the scope. It can take the form of a paragraph, bullet list, in/out list, and/or UML context diagram.
The focus of the project is a server that collects prevailing traffic information and uses it to map traffic flow on a road.
- Provide SMS alerts to any phone detailing traffic flow and Estimated Times of Arrival. - Cheap enough to be used by both Passengers and Drivers over and over again. - Information provided can be integrated into other applications - Information can be important to matatu operators, traffic police
*In Scope* *Out of Scope* Use of a comparatively inexpensive system to monitor traffic flow e.g cameras, speed radars , human transmission, or anonymous mobile phone triangulation Use of satellite technology to monitor traffic Transmit information via simple SMS alert Require a java enabled phone or smart phone that allows downloading an application to get traffic feeds Other applications are able to draw information from the system Highly integrated system that requires extra work to provide information to other systems Easy to use, one time request or subscription based Requires an instruction manual to use. Automatic subscription which requires administrator intervention to unsubscribe. High scalability, able to handle a few thousand requests per hour Only able to provide a fixed number of requests per hour Cheap to use, at most Kes 10 per sms. Preferably Kes 5 or lower. Subscription costs can be quite low e.g. 100 Kes per month Quite costly for most Kenyans to afford ; upwards of Kes 10 per sms SMS alerts can be coupled with advertisements. Advertisers pay per certain number of random sms, can target certain roads Targeting of Ads on features other than location.
*Deliverables*
TODO: Briefly list project deliverables. When you are done, what will you deliver to the customer? This can be copied from the draft project plan and simplified to reduce technical detail.
- SMS alerts - Subscription based SMS alerts - SMS based advertising
*Risks and Rewards*
TODO: Briefly list and rank major risks. Risks are detailed in the draft project plan. For this proposal document, you should select the most important risks from the project plan and explain them in non-technical terms.
What are the main risks of this project?
1. The System may require massive capital injection that will require a long time to recoup 2. Government Requirements and policies. The project may be hampered by massive startup fees and operation charges. 3. Travellers may not really require a traffic alert system, leading to under utilisation of the system. 4. Ongoing road constructions will mean that data gathering points will have to be relocated from time to time
What are the main rewards if this project succeeds?
1. The project can be self sustaining from revenue generated from sms/subscription charges. 2. Advertising revenue will result in profitability of the project 3. Better planning travel arrangements for those using city roads.
*Project Plan*
*************
Continuation of the project to this stage and beyond will be determined by determination of user requirements ie:
- Do travellers really need such a system or is it a white elephant. This can be done by mailing list readers giving their views and those of people around them. - If users need the system, which is the best and easiest way to implement it amongst those detailed in the project scope.
-- with Regards:
Lessons we learn from from friends we lost to misdiagnosed illnesses; at my blog: http://gramware.blogspot.com
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Thanks for the support guys, we will need all the support we can get.... @Solomon we did showcase the early concept [in diagram form :-) ] to four permanent secretaries,, however we were rushing to beat the presentation deadline we dint get a chance to know from which ministries they were in,, ,,,still havent managed to get back there to inquire since last week - but i do know that ministry of information and education were definitely there...
participants (6)
-
bernard kioko -
Dennis Kioko -
Josiah Mugambi -
ndungu stephen -
Solomon Mburu -
Steve Obbayi