Inspiration
We were inspired by countless traffic delays, detours, and occurrences during our daily commutes, and the fact that despite everything, traffic seems to elude simple explanation. It is a surprisingly complex phenomenon born from very simple building blocks, and we wanted to find a way to introduce such a seemingly boring concept in a fun, interactive, and interesting way to students.
What it does
This is a traffic simulator that allows users to analyze traffic within the road network surrounding Princeton. Using a variety of tools, as well as real-world information from open-source maps, users are able to alter the route, change conditions, and create various traffic and transit scenarios to their liking. The simulator then provides a comparison between a route's default transit time and the modified transit time with all of the user's modifications.
The simulation is capable of being adjusted to simulate road closures, high or low levels of traffic, stop lights, buses, and various other factors and how they affect transit time. We intended it to be an educational tool, making it easy to use and understand while also demonstrating how complex systems work and can be altered, directly and indirectly, by making changes to various aspects of the system.
How we built it
We used a combination of Gemini for planning out the demo and coordinating the front-end and back-end coding, and Claude and Codex for the back-end and front-end coding.
Challenges we ran into
Since this was our first Hackathon, we weren't sure what we were getting into or what to expect. That was our first and greatest challenge! On the more technical side of it though, we struggled to incorporate certain features and define a clear path to our end goal, and sourcing public data for the road network we were building wasn't easy, though we persevered!
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Among the accomplishments that we are proud of, the 3d map and various ways to customize and change the routes that the user can analyze are what we are most proud of.
What we learned
We learned what it takes to come up with and code a project for a Hackathon in less than 36 hours, the teamwork and collaboration it takes, and the value of hard work. We learned to split up our workloads, communicate effectively, and still manage to have fun while working hard.
What's next for TraffixLab
- Increasing the side of the road network that the user has access to
- Adding more tools to customize traffic and routes
- Expanding educational tools for educators and students, such as adding puzzles or challenges to make efficient routes, or scenarios where a certain result must be achieved by the user.
Built With
- claude
- codex
- gemini
- javascript
- python
