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I thought this was interesting... and intrusive.
Does this make you think twice about using your phone to check into a bar on Facebook, Foursquare, etc.? Obviously you shouldn't be drinking and driving, but...
Alcohol impaired vehicle operation inflicts a significant social and economic cost on society. During 2005, 17,602 people in America died in alcohol related motor vehicle crashes and it is estimated that alcohol related crashes in the U.S. cost about $51 billion each year. [3] In an effort to help reduce the negative impacts of going out at night, the aim of this project is to determine which bars and nightlife districts are more likely to produce trips that would involve the operation of car while intoxicated. In order to create a pattern of alcohol related travel, check-in data from 406 Gowalla users was cross referenced by name with the address listed on the user's Washington state voter record. From this data, it can be determined how far residents of the Puget Sound region travel to participate in Seattle nightlife activities Through the identification of nightlife hotspots, it will be possible to create a statistical profile of distance travelled for entire nightlife districts. Should the distances from their home address to these alcohol establishment be large enough to be unwalkable, it can be assumed that an impaired trip home by vehicle, either by driving, taking a cab, or riding home with a different driver, will take place. By comparing these statistical profiles of distance traveled, the hotspots that have the highest average distance travelled can be targeted by city and state law enforcement for focused DUI prevention and enforcement efforts. Additionally, should a spatial pattern of patronage exist, bars could use this information to focus marketing efforts in these locales.The scope of this project focuses on places which fit our definition of "heavy drinking locations" within the city of Seattle. As many people who frequent these bars are from the suburbs, the scope of our Gowalla users spans the entire Seattle Metropolitan Statistical Area. All distances will be measured as straight "as the crow flies" lines due to our inability to obtain a fully working road network for the project area.
More > - Using Web 2.0 data to predict alcohol-related travel
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