TrafficPulse TrafficPulse is a Flask-based web application that compares multiple driving routes between two Canadian locations. It analyzes distance, travel time, estimated CO2 emissions, and overall route performance. The app uses the OpenRouteService (ORS) API for geocoding, autocomplete, road snapping, and route generation.
Enter a start and end location to receive 1–3 route options depending on trip distance. Each route displays travel time, distance, emissions data, percentage difference in CO2 compared to the most efficient route, and a performance score. Click any route to expand full turn‑by‑turn driving instructions.
Features Multiple alternative routes (short trips)
Distance and travel time comparison
Estimated CO2 emissions analysis
Emissions percentage comparison
Dynamic route performance scoring
Expandable turn-by-turn directions
Location autocomplete
Road snapping for improved routing accuracy
Requirements Python 3.9 or higher
Internet connection
OpenRouteService API key
Setting Up Your OpenRouteService API Key Go to
Create a free account
Verify your email and log in
Open the Dashboard
Generate a new API key
Open app.py
Replace the ORS_API_KEY value with your key
Save the file
How to Run (Automatic Setup) TrafficPulse includes a run.py file that automatically:
Creates a virtual environment if one does not exist
Installs all dependencies from requirements.txt
Starts the Flask application
To Run: Open Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (Mac)
Navigate to the project folder:
cd path/to/TrafficPulse
Run:
Windows: python run.py Mac: python3 run.py
Open your browser and go to:
That’s it. No manual virtual environment setup or pip installation required.
Running Again Later Simply navigate to the project folder and run:
Windows: python run.py Mac: python3 run.py
The script will reuse the existing virtual environment.
Troubleshooting If Python is not recognized, ensure Python is installed and added to PATH.
If routing fails, confirm your ORS API key is valid and has remaining usage quota.
If you encounter persistent dependency issues, delete the venv folder and run python run.py again.
Project Structure run.py – Automatic setup and launcher
app.py – Main Flask backend logic
templates/ – HTML templates
requirements.txt – Python dependencies
README.md – Project documentation
TrafficPulse demonstrates API integration, backend route analytics, environmental impact modeling, and interactive route comparison within a structured Flask application.