Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation (MoT) has used advanced smart mapping technology and social media platforms Twitter and Instagram, to monitor the flow of traffic during the annual Idul Fitri exodus.
Every year, MoT sets up a command post to monitor the flow of Mudik, an annual mass exodus where locals return to their native home to celebrate Hari Raya Idul Fitri with their families. After a joyous celebration, thousands of travellers make the balik exodus back to the city.
For this year’s annual exodus, MoT utilised advanced smart mapping technology – also known as Geographic Information System (GIS) technology – to build a real-time information dashboard allowing them to track and monitor traffic flows, road conditions and accidents.
The smart map integrates real-time information from MoT’s sensors with social media feeds to empower decision-makers with the latest information they need to respond to incidents.
According to a spokesperson from MoT, citizens stuck in traffic can simply include hashtags such as “Delay”, “Kecelakaan” (accident), “Menhub” (MoT) and “Macet” (traffic jam) in their status updates on Twitter and Instagram.
“These messages are then sent to MoT’s smart mapping system so response teams can act upon this information in the most efficient way possible.”