Covid-19 transport travel times

Lead Participant: TRAVELTIME TECHNOLOGIES LTD

Abstract

TravelTime Technologies have already built and commercialised a technology platform, accessed by API, that enables clients in 40 countries to analyse their own data by travel time, not distance. As one example, the NHS use our platform to determine where to locate health facilities within reach of an optimum population. However, Covid has changed travel times dramatically as mainline and underground stations have closed, bus and train timetables have changed, and road speeds have increased. This means that when planning the location of Covid testing centres (for example) 'Covid travel times' mean far more than 'normal travel times'. We've had multiple requests for a 'Covid TravelTime API' from government departments, NGOs, charities, health services and other organisations who are on the front-line tackling Covid. In response we have already mirrored our existing platform and in early May we will start testing our 'Covid TravelTime API'. We will deliver it free of charge to these front-line services, irrespective of their API usage. We believe this will be the only such API in the world and it will, without doubt, save lives. After Covid, when travel times return to normal, we will repurpose this 'mirror' API so that transport planners can use it to model the impact of proposed new transport infrastructure on the existing road, rail, bus and subway networks. What's innovative about this proposal is; 1) it builds upon an already patented, innovative and existing TravelTime platform without which the 'Covid TravelTime API' could not be built. 2) There is no equivalent 'Covid TravelTime API anywhere in the world. 3) our current API already is, and the Covid TravelTime API will be, available as a plug and play solution within the dominant GIS (Geographic Information Services) of Arcgis from ESRI, Alteryx, and the opensource QGIS -- there are few data planners in the front line teams battling Covid who don't use one (or more) of these GIS services. It means our API will instantly be available at a click of a button (literally) for just about everyone in the front-line organisations asking for it. And 4) post covid, when we repurpose the API for future infrastructure planning, again, nearly all transport planners use one or more of these GIS applications and we will have a ready route to market.

Lead Participant

Project Cost

Grant Offer

TRAVELTIME TECHNOLOGIES LTD £35,880 £ 35,880

Publications

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