The Savanna Science Network Meeting (SSNM) is an annual one-week international conference in the Kruger National Park (KNP) of South Africa. Researchers from fields like ecology, geology gather to share recent project ideas, research findings, success stories and challenges with their peers. More recently, fields like computer science, machine learning, and data science are also heavily represented at the SSNM as the need for computational and data-driven modeling becomes increasingly clear.
The SSNM 2023 takes place from March 5th—10th. For the MARS Group, it has become an annual tradition to attend and contribute. This year, we will share our progress and initial results from an agent-based traffic model for the KNP. The model spans the entire road network of the KNP and models daily routines of commuters, visitors, and Open Safari Vehicle (OSV) drivers. We hope that the model will be a valuable tool for SANParks management as they decide how to manage traffic flow and density in their national parks to reduce traffic jams and improve the visitor experience.