Real-time traffic jams

In a blog post Google announced to add real-time information on potential delays and alternate routes to Google Maps in order to relieve stress for commuters. Google gives commuters the opportunity to have all their commute planning data in one place (Google Maps) instead of having to use individual transit apps. Engaging in partnerships with public transport operators such as Transport New South Wales allows users even to see how full the vehicle is they are planning to take, which will add convenience and comfort to the commuter’s journey. Google hopes that by adding this information to its app, it will relieve some of the uncertainty and inconvenience that comes with public transport and transit.

Read more on Smart Cities Dive and read Google’s blog here

Where children grow up matters in whether they prosper as adults. The Census Bureau together with researchers at Harvard and Brown published The Opportunity Atlas, containing data on nearly all neighborhoods in North America, showing (on street-level) the expected adult household income for poor children for different backgrounds. Nationwide policy makers and philanthropists are planning on how to use the maps to challenge the problem of neighborhood disadvantage. The city of Seattle is for example offering families extra rent money on top of rental vouchers to rent a home in a neighborhood that will give children more chance on economic fortune. Nationwide the variation between states and regions is huge, but as the most striking find, the New York Times mentions local disparities, even between streets. Researches state that much of the variation is driven by the neighborhoods themselves as the hyper-local setting seems to matter the most: the environment within half a mile of the child’s home.
Read more on NYT or view the interactive maps at The Opportunity Atlas

(Image: screenshot The Opportunity Atlas)