Parked where the crowd will be, just before it comes

Faisal owns a coffee truck in Riyadh. Every evening, he parks where he hopes the crowds will be. He picks his spots by habit and by hunch. Some nights the park is empty and he pours twenty cups. Other nights he arrives at ten, and the crowd went home at nine. In summer, the heat keeps everyone inside until late. With xMap Flows, Faisal built Spotter. Every afternoon at three, across north Riyadh, Spotter finds the parks, walkways and malls, learns each one’s busiest day and hour, checks tonight’s heat, keeps the three best spots for tonight, and sends them to his phone. At three on Thursday, Spotter tells him the walkway in Al Malqa is busiest on Thursdays at nine, with twice the crowd of his usual spot, and tonight will be cooler. Faisal parks at eight, and sells out by eleven. Faisal stopped chasing crowds. Now he gets there just before them.

The story in words