Zen Routing

Abstract

Driving induced stress is a problem inherent to contemporary living in urban areas. Traffic congestion, route unpredictability, and other factors cause undue stress to commuters daily. This project’s purpose is to alleviate driving related stress by offering alternative “Zen” routes. Currently, navigational apps provide options based on shortest estimated time of arrival or shortest distance. The planned application will analyze a number of other factors to suggest routes that are comparable in time to the fastest route, but are less stressful. The ideal Zen route will be determined by applying Dijkstra’s shortest path algorithm to a directed roadway graph. Stress related characteristics will be incorporated into this process by defining network edge weight as a scaled sum of roadway factors. The way in which each roadway factor contributes to the final route decision will be learned through user feedback. In the end, this method of routing will incentivize people to take alternative routes based on the benefits of stress reduction. The overall benefit to the user will hopefully take form in increased driving safety and overall well-being.