The future of transportation is in technology. We don’t call a cab anymore; their’s an app for that. Car share and bike shares are a growing business. Growing cities are looking to the growing amount of data available to solve traffic problems, decrease accidents and increase mobility. At SXSW companies are addressing the new challenges that new transportation companies are facing. Here are my top 5 technology and transportation panels at SXSW 2014
Transportation Meets Tech: Mobile & Big Data
Time: Saturday March 8th 5:00 PM
Location: Hyatt Regency Texas Ballroom 1-5
Car2Go’s chief marketing officer Paul Delong will speak about the integration of technology and transporation. Car2go currently has visual mapping softwared based on the daily trip data on car2go users. Car2go currently has 400,000 users worldwide, and have pioneered the 1-way trips of car sharing. Using the data that they have available car2go hopes to start real conversations with local, state and federal officials and how to solve and change transportation issues.
Government’s Gamble: The Future of Transportation
Uber, Sidecar, and Getaround are changing the way look at taxi services. Yet, even with their popularity governments haven’t been on board with these innovations. Uber faced legal issues in Dallas recently, and Sidecar was briefly banned in Austin. Transportation is a hot topic as cities across America are growing, so why aren’t officials open to these innovations? Moderated by Techcrunch’s Ryan Lawler, with panelists Justin Caldbeck form Lightspeed Venture Partners, Sunil Paul Sidecar’s CEO and Jessica Scorpio Getaround’s co-founder. The discussion will be based around how startup technology companies can work with government organizations and what the future of the startup transportation companies look like.
Smart Transportation Future: Mobile & Big Data
Time: Monday March 10th 5:00PM
Location: Hyatt Regency Ballroom 1-4
Traffic data is becoming more open and it presents a new thrill for big data enthusiasts. “Smart parking” is a new trend as cities try to address the growing concern for traffic and parking in cities are being addressed with new technologies. New innovations include live parking data available to consumers in the form of heat maps on a block by block basis. The panel hosted by ParkME co-founders, Sam Friedman & Alex Isarel will explore the quickly growing area that enables transportation problems to be addressed by technology.
The panelists will be Gal Melamed founder of WonderVoice, an Israeli Startup that allows you to have social radio coming out of your smartphone. Gretch Effgen the VP of Strategy and corporate development at Zipcar, and Scott Sedlik Vp of product planning and Market Development for INRIX a company dedicated to solving traffic worldwide.
How Talking Cars Will Transform the Way We Travel
Time: Sunday March 9th 3:30PM
Location: Hyatt Regency Texas Ballroom 1-4
This panel wants you to imagine a transportation system where cars can see things that you can’t ; icy roads, car crashes down the road, traffic jams. The U.S. Department of Transportation is investing heavily in these technologies as they believe they can save lives and ease traffic congestion. Presented by James Pol from USDOT and Mike Pina from the US Department of Transportation.
Big Data & Sensors: Blowing Up Transportation
Time: Tuesday March 11th 12:30PM
Location: Hyatt Regency Texas Ballroom 5-7
Cities are growing. “In 2008, for the first time, half the world’s population is living in towns and cities. By 2030, the urban population will reach 5 billion – 60% of the world’s population.” This panel addresses the issue of the worldwide growth in urban populations. Transportation is a key element in how cities handle this growth. Panelists US Representitive Blake Farenthold, Evan Burfield co-founder of 1776, and Jon Zeitler of EVP will discuss how data can enable a smarter more mobile lifestyle. The panel will also discuss how government leaders have the potential of aggregating big data with sensors and social media to help cities meet the demands of modern day challenges.