Last updated 11th August 2004 ACW

Location-based Public Transport Information Systems

Applications using positioning systems in public-transport vehicles for passenger information systems, vehicle tracking and fleet control.

A series of applications are being developed that use positional data to provide location-based information for passengers, crew and controllers of public transport vehicles. All are based on off-the-shelf hardware components linked by software to provide affordable solutions to information provision

1. In-vehicle muti-media passenger information system

The system comprises a standard computer, 1 monitor per compartment, GPS receiver/antenna and power unit.

The computer (CPU unit only) is located in either the driver’s compartment or a small locked compartment which will be accessed only by the driver. The monitors should be hung either from the ceiling or fixed high in a corner to ensure all persons in that compartment can view the display. The monitor(s) have anti glare capability. The computer, monitor(s) and GPS system are powered by a standard power unit located somewhere in the vehicle.

The route and station data (adverts, movie clips, audio file, announcements, maintenance updates, and GPS coordinates) are stored on a memory stick configured by an editing program off vehicle. This is inserted into the unit at start of duty. The client software to run the information system autoruns when the driver to turn the computer on. It operates unassisted until the driver turns off the computer.  

How does the system work?

There are 2 components to the information system; a client component which will be installed in the tram and an administration component which will be installed on a computer at the depot.

The client component is used to display all the relevant route and station information while the administration component is used to edit and update the data files.

The client component / system works by constantly reading the present location via the GPS aerial on the roof of the tram, determining which station it will arrive at next and displaying the information for that station continuously in set time intervals (for adverts this could be every 10à20 seconds). When it finds a set of matching coordinates for a new station (when it pulls out from a station) it will automatically load the information for that stop and display it. This cycle will continue until the tram arrives at the last stop on a route. The driver can turn off the computer then if their work has finished for the day or keep it running. The system can automatically detect which route it is on and which direction it is going by comparing GPS coordinates it receives with those in the database (stored on the CD) .It can then determine which station is closest and from there, which route the station is on.

The driver only has to turn the computer on and the application will automatically start. If for some reason the computer stops responding, the driver would only have to restart the computer and the system will automatically re-initialise.

The information interface

The main screen is split into 3 sections. The top section displays which station the vehicle will be arriving at next, the middle section displays the adverts, movie clips, route or station information, while the bottom section displays which stops a passenger needs to change for at the next station. The images can range from tourist attractions, commercial adverts, or images which promote local facilities.

Movie clips and text information would be played / displayed respectively in the same area of the screen. Text information being displayed can have audio accompaniment for stop announcements.