Coding His Way Through Traffic : Interview with Ashwin Colaco

Progate is Japan’s biggest online platform where students learn modern programming languages. It offers 20+ core programming languages (Go, ROR, PHP, Python etc) taught in a very engaging fashion through an interactive web app and mobile app. The platform is currently being used by over 500k students globally and 40,000 in India.

Progate interviewed Ashwin Colaco, a student from Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology, one of the finalists of the Rajasthan Digifest Competition. In this interview, he tells us about his journey with code and how he went on to create a project of his own that would solve a thriving problem in India! 

When did you start learning to code? Have you taught yourself any languages, if so, which platform did you use?

I started to code at the age of 13. My cousins were avid programmers and when I picked up Computer Science in 8th, one of my brothers showed me a lot of cool things to do with Java and HTML, like making basic web pages and applets. This awoke an insatiable want to know more within me as to what extent I could develop these things.

The first language I learned was Java as mentioned. My way of learning was completely hands on. I knew what the end product was to be, so I used to figure out the steps required for that. I then either used to refer “Java for Dummies” or any website on the net to learn concepts for achieving each of those steps. As I graduated further in studies, I began to use online platforms to advance my skills in code.

What is your project about and what inspired it?

To reduce traffic congestion in our country, our team proposes a solution in which traffic lights are controlled by a smart system which assesses the traffic density in real time and controls the traffic signals accordingly. The traffic signal system in India is made up of isolated clusters. Each cluster is a network of traffic signal controllers which communicate with each other (M2M).

The images from traffic cameras at different junctions of the same cluster as well as data from the IR sensors strategically placed on the curbs will be utilized to determine the vehicle density in real time., Additionally, entry of Emergency vehicles into the control zone of the particular traffic signal, as well as the occurrence of collisions, fires etc. that could impede the movement of vehicles will also be considered for controlling the traffic signals. The intersection controller processes the data locally to determine the action that can be taken locally to ease the congestion. Additionally, the processed information will be sent to our cloud server where further processing is performed in order to evolve long-term strategies by determining parameters like traffic density during various periods of the day, the roads on which emergency vehicles mostly travel, time taken for vehicles to traverse an intersection etc. The results of these computations will be used to dynamically tune the controllers at the associated intersections. In addition, the Centralized controller at the cloud can also synchronize the signals across clusters to create “green” corridors when needed.

This project was inspired chiefly by the death rate we have in my city of Bangalore due to the hindrance of emergency vehicles due to traffic. We had initially started this project to target these cases specifically but then expanded it into the above. 

How did coding help you with your project?

Our project is completely code driven, i.e. every component runs on a set of code. The project is coded in 5 languages, as each language is specifically suited for each task. My team consists of 4 members and we each specialize in at least one of the languages. 

What do you like the most about being able to code?

I think to code is to make dreams a reality. If you can envision the results, all you have to do is find the ideal language and the right tutorial, and with the kind of connectivity and content we have on the internet today(and now after being introduced to Progate!!!) this really is ridiculously simple. 

Which coding language do you find most interesting?

I cannot really say which language I find most interesting really, because I dabble with any language that pops out to me. I can however say, that as of right now I am really finding Google’s Alpha-Go quite easy and interesting to learn as it is a combination of a lot of popular languages like C and Java. Needless to say, to learn this, it would be preferable to know one or both C and Java first(For me, Java would always be where the heart is!)

Any message for aspiring coders?

My message to aspiring coders is simple. Start from the basics and work your way to the top. It might seem like a huge mountain to climb but it is well worth it. With a strong foundation in coding, you can achieve anything in the field.

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