Ministry develops motorist software with Google Earth

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications' Institute of Transportation said yesterday that it has developed a software application that allows motorists to identify dangerous road sections around the nation using Google Earth.

Google Earth displays three-dimensional overviews of major cities, mountains and other terrain, as well as the location of local businesses and other information all over the world.

Isaac Chen (陳一昌), director of the institute's transportation safety division, said that most motorists would like to avoid sections of roads that have high levels of traffic accidents.

People also like to be informed of roads that are unsafe for pedestrians, but previously there was no way of providing such information, he said.

Chen the software uses Google Earth to map out the different locations where traffic accidents have occurred in the past. In the meantime, the software will help display detailed information of each accident next to that specific site, from the death toll and injuries to the cause of the accident.

The software would help both motorists and pedestrians pilot a safer route, he said.

It would also help highway and legal authorities find solutions to reducing traffic accidents in each section.

Chen that at the initial stage the software would only be available to government organizations within a year. The software may be available to the public without charge in the future, he said.