Lauren Sager Weinstein facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lauren Sager Weinstein
|
|
|---|---|
Lauren Sager Weinstein speaks to the London Transport Committee in 2017
|
|
| Born | |
| Alma mater | Princeton University Harvard Kennedy School |
| Employer | Transport for London |
| Known for | Big data in transport |
Lauren Sager Weinstein is a super important person at Transport for London (TfL). She's their Chief Data Officer. This means she uses lots of information, called big data, to make travel in London better for everyone.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Lauren Sager Weinstein grew up in Washington, D.C.. Her family had many engineers, which might have inspired her.
She went to Princeton University and finished her first degree in 1995. Later, in 2002, she earned a special degree called a Master of Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School. She even met her husband, Jacob Sager Weinstein, while studying at Princeton!
Making Travel Better in London
Lauren Sager Weinstein started working for Transport for London in 2002. She helped introduce the Oyster card. This is a special card you can tap to pay for buses and trains in London. It made travel much easier!
She has had many important jobs at TfL. She helped develop the Oyster card and led the team that looks at data.
What is Big Data?
Every day, over 30 million trips happen on London's roads and public transport. TfL collects a huge amount of information from these trips. This includes details from tickets, bus journeys, and even traffic sensors. This huge amount of information is called big data.
Lauren Sager Weinstein uses this big data to understand how people travel. It helps her see patterns and trends. This way, she can find ways to make journeys smoother and faster for everyone. TfL also works with Massachusetts Institute of Technology to use big data to stop overcrowding on public transport.
Solving Travel Problems
Lauren Sager Weinstein has helped Londoners during big events. When Putney Bridge had to close for repairs, she quickly set up new bus routes. This helped people still get where they needed to go.
She also helped keep London moving during the 2012 Summer Olympics. Her transport plans made sure visitors and locals could travel easily.
Using WiFi Data
TfL tried something new by using information from people's WiFi signals. Don't worry, this data was made anonymous, so no one could tell who was who. This test cost about £100,000. But the information they learned was worth much more!
The WiFi data showed amazing things. For example, people take more than 18 different routes when traveling between King's Cross St Pancras and Waterloo stations. This kind of information helps TfL understand how people move around the city.
Lauren Sager Weinstein also spoke at a big conference in London in 2013. She was even named one of the top 20 women in Data & Technology by The Female Lead.
