The "comet coming"

CEBU, Philippines - Information Technology specialists are praised for their overwhelming contribution to online communications, product promotions, and information sharing. But they are also partly blamed for the adverse effects of the technology on some traditional industries, for which they are called "tech-front gluttons who know nothing anymore of moderation."

Online platforms like social networking sites have made the world smaller, bringing people closer and closer every day. Conversely, these have also downsized job creation and work opportunities. Online newspapers have caused the print industry to a lull, now focusing mainly on special features and lesser of the news scoops. Online shopping cuts down job opportunities in the physical stores; online schools also threaten the practicability of reporting to the traditional educational institutions.

The potential of Information Technology for human society is vast. Its present application may yet be too far from its limits. In fact, the company called Global Electronic Transportation challenges IT students and professionals to focus on communal problems and use IT as an empowering solution. Through a project dubbed as GETMo (Global Electric Transportation Mobility Optimization), the company is keen on "changing the way we move."

The GET Team envisions a community that can do more and be more by enabling everyone to be part of the solution to the challenges faced by society today. In a recent gathering of IT students in Cebu, the Global Electronic Transportation Team posed the following points: "Imagine your community with less traffic, noise and pollution." "Imagine that you have access to safe and reliable mass transportation."

A Cebuano is part of the group behind this initiative. Josephus Uy Dy, president of EZWare IT Computing Solutions, has come up with the Tap-In Tap-Out (TITO) System, a cashless fare system for secure and accurate fare collection, to be used in the electric city shuttles called "Comet," for City Optimized Mobile Electric Transport. The battery-operated mass transport system is an alternative to the dysfunctional traditional system, which is blamed for the 85,820 road accidents in the Philippines in 2012 alone and the 2.4 billion pesos of potential income lost every day due to traffic.

Through Radio Frequency Identification System (RFID), like that used in the ID system of a Cebu university, a card is tapped on a chip reader to avail of a “Comet” ride. Vital information of the ID owner is registered on a monitor screen for logging and verification, among many practical purposes. Each Comet shuttle is equipped with a webcam making it easy for the Customer Support Services center to monitor the shuttle's trips and identify the passengers through a database. Thus, safety - for everyone aboard - is ensured, as well immediate response in case emergency battery charging is required.

The system employs a centralized fleet management for controlling shuttle dispatch and vehicle volume on the road, designated facility for proper passenger stops and pick-ups, orderly traffic flow, as well as advanced and innovative vehicle design for maximum safety and comfort. Most importantly, its impact on the environment is minimal.

The "Comet" is currently being road-tested in major roads in Manila. During the Philippine stop of his Asian visit last week, U.S. President Barrack Obama allotted time in his official itinerary to check a "Comet" unit in Manila. Certain sectors in Cebu are pushing for the adoption of the "Comet" shuttle system in the city. (FREEMAN)