If you are the kind of person who doesn't mind taking a little extra time to smell the roses, take the scenic route or appreciate the beauty that surrounds you, Yahoo is about to become your map search of choice. Yahoo is developing an algorithm that instead of offering the most direct or fastest way to get somewhere, can tell you the prettiest way to arrive at your destination.
A recent research paper by Daniele Quercia, Rossano Schifanella and Luca Maria Aiello in arXiv is aptly named 'The Shortest Path to Happiness: Recommending Beautiful, Quiet and Happy Routes in the City' and is fairly self-explanatory. Even though beauty is subjective, crowdsourcing a database of pleasant images can make the scenic route your go to route.
Beauty Optimized Directions
Yahoo is Working On an Algorithm to Offer a Scenic Route Option
Trend Themes
1. Scenic Route Optimization - Developing algorithms that offer the most beautiful routes to a destination, rather than the fastest or most direct, creates opportunities for enhancing travel experiences.
2. Subjective Beauty Recommendations - Crowdsourcing pleasant images to create a database enables personalized recommendations for routes that align with an individual's subjective perception of beauty.
3. Happiness-driven Navigation - Integrating happiness factors such as beauty, quietness, and pleasantness into navigation systems allows users to prioritize emotional well-being during travel.
Industry Implications
1. Mapping and Navigation - Companies in the mapping and navigation industry can explore incorporating scenic route optimization algorithms to differentiate their services and attract users seeking enhanced travel experiences.
2. Crowdsourcing and Image Sharing - Platforms focused on crowdsourcing and image sharing have an opportunity to collaborate with mapping and navigation companies to contribute to the creation of databases for subjective beauty recommendations.
3. Travel and Tourism - Travel and tourism businesses can leverage happiness-driven navigation technologies to offer unique travel experiences that prioritize customer satisfaction and emotional well-being.