Finding Shortest Route
The Gumball India competition is about finding the shortest route from start to finish and through all the checkpoints.
The start and the finish is already known beforehand the checkpoints are secret till the flag-off. It is only when competitors start that they are given list of checkpoint along with the GPS coordinates.
Here we are giving example of how to find shortest distance between two points.
Giving input of Dera Bassi, Punjab to Dehradun, Uttrakhand, the google maps shows three alternatives. The longest route option is 203 Kilometres but it is shortest in terms of time at 3:32 hours.
Google also shows two other alternate routes and the shortest distance wise is 151 kilometres with estimated time of 3:43 hours.
How to reduce distance?
Obviously we have chosen the shortest route distance wise. When we see the route details after zooming in to area around Ponta Sahib the distance is being show at 151 kilometres. But looking closely at the encircled area we see a smaller but straighter road. Area marked in red circle with arrow.
By adjusting the route to this we see that the distance is reduced to only 149 kilometres. So we saved two kilometres.
Though the estimated time has gone up by few minutes.
Which to choose when distance is same?
Let’s see the same route again in details while getting in to Dehradun. Area to be compared is marked with red ellipse and arrow in each picture.
All the three different routing show that the distance remains almost same at 149 kilometres. So we can choose any of them but which one we should choose keeping Gumball India objectives in mind?
Examining carefully we see one of them shows estimated time at 3:45 hours. This is the one we should choose simply because the chances stoppage due to traffic jams or stop lights is least in this option.
Another example of reducing distance.
Looking closely at the same route around Nahan we notice that there is a “bypass” of sorts if that will save us 3 kilometres and reduce the distance from 149 to 146 kilometres.
Also note the area denoted by purple circle and arrow and compare with the next.
Now compare the area marked in this image.
A slight change in route and the distance drops another 4 kilometres and now the same route is at 144 kilometres against starting distance of 151 kilometres.
This is how you have to constantly keep looking for ways to reduce the distance from one point to the next.
You can take help from friends across the globe in helping you find shorter routes since your location is also being transmitted under live tracking and one or more teams can keep working in support to help you reduce down the distance.
Welcome to Gumball India madness!!