Thoughts of the Week

3D Modeling in Transportation Flows

We need to borrow the technology that the military uses for the Battlefield 4D holographic simulations in the Net-centric Warfare Battlespace and transfer this technology to help the DOT and DHS predict how to keep the distribution systems are moving in our Nation in real-time. We need monitor the movement and keep flows moving under circumstances involving Choke Point breakages in the Highway and railway systems in case a bridge out, an accident occurs or god forbid we are attacked again by International Terrorists. Such a tool could help people like Secretary of Transportation of the current administration make split second decisions using a complete visualization in real time.

Imagine looking down at a holographic view of a city, state or the whole country at the same time watching the different types of traffic flows all interacting. Cars, trucks, trains, boats, planes and seeing first hand as traffic jams occur and being able to replay and store that image and run it over and over again modifying variables; Traffic signals, times of travel, adding lanes, offramps? We have the technology now to eliminate traffic jams and increase the real world traffic bandwidth able to flow thru our transportation system.

This tool also when used in simulations can predict BMPs for things like blocking a lane for construction, adding a bridge or extra lane based on modeling by ERSI vendors and Battelle which is doing projects similar but not 4D in Seattle at their Pacific Northwest Laboratories.

Why this is important is we can then see how toll ways, off ramps, signals and other things impede traffic flow and the flow of goods and services to markets. How trains and boats and containers interact. How people on buses, trolleys, trains, aircraft, hydro craft, ferries, motorcycles, taxi cabs, limos and passenger cars move. How the system works together with Air, rail, Water and road travel no matter what the type of transportation used. This is like a giant train set you never have to build, can change at will. A holographic display, which can zoom in, zoom out, replay, record sessions, back up. Move to another state, county, city streets, just like a Google Map, but in 3D and 4D. $D in that you can see subways underneath tunnels and double-decker freeways such as in Seattle, SF, San Antonio. You can see the NY subways, Bart trains under the bay, the Baltimore Tunnel, you see, why we need this? And since we have the technology, we can run the system to perfection, increasing our nations productivity, decreasing traffic jams, enhancing response time to first responders. We can run our a Net-Centric Battlefield, not delivering bombs to the enemy, but delivering products, people, packages, goods and services to the masses. Efficiency in the flow of transportation is a vital part to a healthy economy.

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Someone like Snow the treasury secretary, a former Railroad man, might want to have a similar device for money flows and markets and since he is very valuable to the administration than that of merely a treasury secretary, he should be given the assignment of working with the DOT to develop systems to streamline the infrastructure, which will lower prices to consumers through efficiencies and raise profits for transportation companies which will increase flow and help us with the future inflationary period by lowering costs through efficiencies and it also saves fuel and of value to our dependence on foreign oil and the Energy Issues which are vital to the country. Can you see the potential here?

By using such a system and GPS tracking of trucking, cargo containers, ships, planes (using Lockheed’s global system and the FAA system) we can predict under utilization points and times and fill them while alleviating times and areas with choke points causing a loss of productivity to our citizenry, small businesses and government agencies. This will increase quality of life giving back 1-2 hours in metro areas to all travelers. This is a gift worthy of the taxes charged by our government for the services they provide. It is fair and easy to do. The over all cost of this project I see at about 500 million dollars and will give the US the advantage to do more with less and therefore compete with a higher standard of living while delivering goods and services to the world. This system has another benefit. Better and healthy air, since vehicles pollute less when running at optimum not idling in traffic.

Here are a few examples of what has lead me to this conclusion. By having someone in the know with years of rail and distribution experience looking over the 4D model they can easily within minutes pinpoint problems and make good and important decisions, this is one reason at rail yards the Rail Master is in a tower for a better vantage point and why Air Traffic Controllers sit with an unobstructed view over the ramp and can see BLOS. There is an exponentially and mathematically component to this and that is that the cost savings to businesses will make them more profitable meaning more profits and more tax revenue. Moms and Dads will not be stuck in traffic and spend more time raising their kids with out latch key syndrome and that means better students, better citizens, less juvenile delinquency, drugs and less need for costly police, jails and rehabs. Every time you assist our economy on more efficient operations we all win.

About The Author

Lance Winslow - Discuss Thought Provoking Concepts, Controversies and Major Social, Economic, Political, Science and Technology Issues That Impact Our Planet At The Online Think Tank: http://www.WorldthinkTank.net/wttbbs Geniuses Wanted. Join our free forums to develop the genius in you or share your unique perspectives.

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