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John Notarantonio |
Americans, especially when going to and from work, tend to be solo drivers. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 88 percent of workers drive to their jobs, with 77 percent driving alone. John Notarantonio a senior database warehouse developer for Emory's University Technology Services, hopes to reduce that number with a novel “matchmaking” service that makes finding carpooling partners quick and convenient.
Emory’s 12,000-some employees already have access to the service through Destination Emory, an initiative that encourages alternative commuting options. Employees interested in joining or establishing carpools can call up the Destination Emory website, log in and be directed to a map of their neighborhood with other prospective Emory carpoolers who live and work near them clearly marked. Using superior graphics, GIS mapping, and logical data, the system quickly, easily, and securely allows groups to assemble convenient and flexible carpools. While names aren’t supplied, a quick email can be sent through the service and the recipient can respond if they are interested.
Notarantonio, whose job involves making cross-system connections between distinct data sets, had the “aha” moment of merging employee demographics with maps of the surrounding area while viewing this data on two separate screens simultaneously. “I wanted to make it easier for people who might be interested in carpooling, but who didn’t know where to start,” he said. “Destination Emory makes it very easy to take that first step."
The model program became the basis for EcoRide™, which will be marketed as the only enabling technology specifically designed to address critical environmental and economic issues by stimulating growth in carpooling at the enterprise level. EcoRide™ can be used by government agencies, private employers, communities, or individuals as an easy-to-use, easy-to-implement, and cost-effective way to address traffic congestion, limited parking resources, increasing gasoline prices, air quality, and employee health and productivity.
Through Emory’s Office of Technology Transfer, Notarantonio was paired with Ron Tolliver, a corporate executive with more than 25 years of experience with Fortune 100 and early-stage technology companies. Tolliver and Notarantonio formed G2 EcoSolutions to develop the commercial potential of EcoRide™ and have received a financial grant to further explore market potential and risk.
“There is a tremendous amount of commercial opportunity with EcoRide™”, says Panya Taysavang, a licensing associate at Emory’s Office of Technology Transfer. “It is exciting to see Destination Emory, an initiative created in support of Emory’s commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability initiatives, move beyond the University to further develop its potential.”
“It’s a perfect fit with the whole Going Green movement, which has become a global megatrend. This isn’t just a grass-roots effort—the largest corporations around the world are leading the way, which is creating a ripple effect in the marketplace and among employees,” says Tolliver. “As a result, I see exciting opportunities on a grand scale for EcoRide™. I believe a very large market for this program exists both domestically and internationally.”
To stimulate interest and acceptance they say, new carpool technology must be compelling, offer incentives, rewards and privileges and be easy to use. Planned enhancements to the application involve extending the technology from the desk top to cell phones and including more personal information such as music preferences, hobbies and other interests which will make the carpooling experience more enjoyable.
For larger systems, they also envision social networking profiles, brokering “carbon credits” for employers, and facilitating special event or inter-city carpooling for sporting events, concerts, and holiday travel.
A carpooler himself, Notarantonio, who lives in Marietta and commutes 21 miles each way to Emory’s main Atlanta campus, saves money on gas and car insurance as well as $630 in University parking fees since he qualifies for a free carpooling pass. “All told,” he says, “I saved about $3,600 last year carpooling.”
On a larger scale, that’s a financial incentive that just might lead to a greener world.
Techid: 07119 |
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