The Commute
Hours spent sitting in traffic jams and in crowded trains, unstable fuel prices, increased social and geographic fragmentation, mobile offices, smartphones, wearables, connected cars, the ‘Internet Of Things’, and ubiquitous computing. How will these and other factors influence the Australian commute to work in 2020, and what does it have to do with the ABC?
Initiated within ABC R+D’s unit, the project’s mission: Every day millions of Australians go from A to B. How can we make the ABC an essential travel companion for these daily journeys?
Media will know me and my surroundings.
A connected car experience for a solo driver using voice recognition and content shaped via natural language processing.
The car’s sensors in combination with the driver’s personal profile data and other connected objects and devices will ensure the media experience is seamless from one environment to the next (e.g. my home for watching but my car for listening). It is sensitive to context and location. New forms of digital interaction may apply, such as augmented reality.
I will share adaptive media experiences with others.
A connected car experience for a more than one person. In 2020, media experiences can be shared and enjoyed together in the same social and physical context, or you can connect from remote location.
Experiences are personalised and adaptive, depending on an individual profile (interests, age, etc.), and current commute activities (driving?). Digital interactions may encompass voice and gesture controls, and augmented reality. Media transitions from one activity or format the next, depending on context.
Media adapts to my commute mode and my environment.
Each commuting environment and travel mode—and the transitions that people make between them—have inherent and unique qualities. Imagine a media experience that is sensitive to the fluctuations of your internal states (mood, thoughts), your physical activity (walking, sitting) and your surroundings.
Smart commuting environments—train carriages, roads, bus stops—will provide data that ABC could use to tailor experiences for your context. For public transport users, ABC can make the most of data generated from the crowds of people you are travelling with.
As I commute, I will connect, share and collaborate with others.
As commuting environments and objects —such as streets, bus stops, railway platforms—become smartly connected, new ways to engage people in public and outdoor spaces, emerges.
Communities of commuters can interact with each other; sharing, co-creating, collaborating and conversing around topics hosted by the ABC in these environments. There are new opportunities to connect with people at a hyper-local level, and to distribute media via ad-hoc networks.
