Definition of urban communication & analysis

To understand what is the subject is related to the author need to research and find out to get the meaning
for guiding the scope of work to be carried on.
Urban communication has no formal definite meaning in the dictionary or wiki however in general sense the
word should mean in the realm of any type or form of communications that occur in the urban area.
The word of "urban communication" is coined from two words, "urban" and “communication", for the first
word of urban or urban area according to Wikipedia is characterized by higher population density and vast human
supported features in comparison to areas surrounding it such as cities, towns or metropolitans. And the word of
"communication" has the wider meaning, one of them actually also from the wiki definition (more incline to digital
side), it is a process whereby information is enclosed in a package and is channeled and imparted by a sender to a
receiver via some medium or the conveying information. In other source from dictionary, the meaning of
communication is also the link between human and human or human with other living things to help to understand
each other needs such as talking and the use of languages. It has a range of distant from face to face to situating in
the different locations. The communication does not only has the meaning about transferring the message but also
concern with the moving the objects or people from and to different locations. Which in this last meaning aspect that
the author will capture as a guide for further exploring the potential urban communication problem and propose a
concept solution. The last word is “analysis” taking the definition from One Look Dictionary Search, it give a follow
description “an investigation of the component parts of a whole and their relations in making up the whole or the
abstract separation of a whole into its constituent parts in order to study the parts and their relations”
When combining the whole word, the meaning can be understood that the subject is intended to searching
and scrutinizing details of the specific topic under the scope of Urban Communication by scientific method.
To answer some questions which have been raised regarding the proposed topic (an alert or warning
system for car drivers before entering the bad traffic zone via mobile phone);
1. The main concern of the chosen topic is directly related to and affected to our daily and the public as
a whole. We see it every day but cannot do anything about it because it has to depend on a collective
cooperation from everyone using the road which may be on this point we need some tool to energize
people to contribute their effort and get better tangible result.
2. The main input data is how to collect all the traffic or vehicles on the street and how to process them.
3. A new software program will be needed to tailor to the requirement of the proposed system and has to
start with the writing the algorithm or steps to control the computer to calculate the data.
4. The development of software will be from the IT expert developer; the author will only initiate and
control the outcome of product.
An alert or warning system for car drivers before entering the bad traffic zone via mobile phone
Introduction
Generally in the urban area as Bangkok metropolitan or any other urban areas, it normally comprises of
many parts and functions but the main ones are the people, the buildings, and the infrastructures that support it. The
infrastructure is the main part of urban structure that helping to communicate and facilitating the people to live in
balance and sustainable environment of urban area. And one important part in the infrastructure is road, a channel
of communication network that connected places in the urban area and help people to move around between them.
By using the vehicles such as car, bus, motorcycle, or even walking as a mean to move around to getting to the
destination. However for many years till the present time the chronic problems of road shortage and traffic
congestion to mention a few still exist even though heavily investment to use many new and old technologies to
solve or alleviate the problem. Which in some way at present it makes all of us start to feel like it is part of our live not
the problem anymore, but the hope is still there. There are many ideas that floating around since the problem start to
occur but none of them has really removed the problem and the author believes that it will be in this situation for
forever because may be we did not ask the right question, what actually the cause of the problem is.
In this paper the author would like to propose a little innovative concept to solve not all but some of this
common annoyed problem which may initiate more brave new idea in the future, how to alert the car drivers before
entering the traffic congestion zone and give direction to divert to lighter traffic routes by mobile phone.
Define problem
The road traffic congestions or jam problem in the urban area not only create travelling problem but also
health problem, working schedule, environment, and logistic problem etc.. The author will only touch on the problem
originates from the vehicles of why the congestions have been created and how to solve it within the total picture.

There are two major factors that cause the traffic congestion, first is the imbalance of road space with the
number of vehicles that increase every day, second, the road traffic congestion occurs when there is lot of vehicles
or cars packed fully on the street at the same time which make them move very slow or even cannot move at all.
Using traffic polices to control the flow of vehicles with only the traffic lights and monitor from the video cameras that
install on the major intersections have not been any success just keeps the problem passes on day by day. The
vehicles are everywhere and could not predict where they are going to and that is the biggest problem and need
to find out first before getting to the solution.

Proposed concept idea to solving the problem

The brief concept idea the solve road traffic congestion problem by giving a warning and pointing divert
direction by mobile phone is in the following steps:
1. Collecting the traffic data on every street in Bangkok that affected the traffic condition.
2. Processing all the traffic data to link and refer together.
3. Classify areas to the traffic zone from light to very heavy congestion, this data must be update in
real time.
4. Sending the signal to the car driver mobile phone, warning and give instruction if that car is in
the threshold entering to the heavy traffic zone.
The concept is based on the push and interactive technology, warning before it happen, unlike the way of
present traffic control doing of trying to untangle the problem that already occur in everyday changing traffic
conditions.
With this concept idea, it will reduce the vehicles that may wandering or have specific intention to go into
the heavy traffic zone and will result in distribute the traffic evenly throughout the uncongested area.
Implementing the concept
For the concept details, it will be further elaborated in the following steps;
After we know what is the right question to ask or what is the problem we want to solve, which is how do we
know what and where is the traffic situation in the Bangkok area. In the next step is to collect the traffic data on every
streets in Bangkok that effect the traffic condition and store in the database system which need a lot of servers or
server farm and running the program to manipulate the data under the clouding computing system similar to the
Google server system but in a small scale only for the Bangkok Metropolitan area.
In part of getting the traffic data, the author will design and set up a close circuit video camera system for taken the
videos or pictures of all street intersections in the Bangkok area and send back the raw data to store in the database
system. The next step is to use an algorithm to compare the videos or pictures with the picture of the empty street,
which in turn it will give the result of amount or level of the traffic that, occur in any moment and in real time. By this
working method it will inform us the traffic situation all every streets in Bangkok.

From the processed data the program computer will continue to categorize the data into traffic zoning
system and integrate with the Bangkok road system map. This traffic zoning information now can be set as a master
map and use for warning and guiding any car drivers that will be entering to the heavy traffic zone via mobile phone.
The warning can be a short message or alert message to get the car driver attention and also sending the
appropriate instruction to car driver to avoid the traffic congested area.
 For the cost of setting the system may be contributed from the saving in the economic term such as car fuel
saving, working time, public health such as saving cost for curing the sickness arises from traffic pollution.
Especially the wasted car fuel in traffic congestion amounted in billion Baht every year. The energy tax also can
assist the expense.
As for the technology to support the system, it is already available at present.
Good result expecting from the proposal if implemented
In term of economic the nation will save a lot of money for import the fuel from oil producer country every
year.
In term of working time, people will be able the set the appointment schedule without any delay, which in
turn saving the working time, no wasted time in the traffic jam.
In term of psychology, people will have good healthy mind.
In term of health, the public will save cost of take care the sick people from the traffic pollution.
In term of tourist industry, tourist will have more time to visit places in Bangkok and it will generate more
income.
In term of environment, cleaning and maintenance Bangkok will be less in cost. And will be more
sustainable for good living.
References
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_area
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic-congestion
-Urban road-traffic noise and blood pressure and heart rate in preschool children; Belojevic G, Jakovljevic B,
Stojanov V, Paunovic K, Ilic J.,Institute for Hygiene and Medical Ecology, School of Medicine, University of
Belgrade, Dr Subotica 8, 11000 Belgrade,Serbia. gogibel@eunet.yu.
-A detailed urban road traffic emissions inventory model using aerial photography and GPS surveys; Vitor Gois,
Hugo Maciel,InventAr, Est. Proj. Unip. Lda. R. Sarmento Beires, 15-8ºesq, 1900-410, Lisbon, Portugal.
- IMPROVEMENT OF URBAN ROAD TRAFFIC IN CRAIOVA CITY BY USING GIS DATA PROCESSING;
Avram Sorin, Curcan Gheorghe, Vladut Alina, Marinescu Ioan, 2010.
-STUDY ON THE URBAN ROAD TRAFFIC SAFETY MANAGEMENT; Hu Qionghong, 2005.
-Why we fail to reduce urban road traffic volumes: Does it matter how planners frame the
problem?;http://www.sciencedirect.com
-Susan Drucker, Urban and Suburban Communication in the digital age, HofstraHorizons.
-http://www.onelook.com