Sunday, March 6, 2011

Expected Arrival Time

Expected Arrival Time
Purpose. To calculate and store to a database record the deviation from published timetable for this bus,route and stop. Calculated at each bus stop.

The Android is on-board the bus, running quietly without intervention from the driver.

Data resources needed.
GPS location of each numbered bus-stop.
Identity of 'this' bus.
Identity of this buses' route
Identity of this buses trip (starting time?)
Timetable for this trip (bus stop, expected time of departure)

Calculations.
When the bus stops (accelerometer?) obtain the location from the GPS. 
Is this near (within the error of GPS) a bus stop for this route? Maybe we are stopped at a traffic light.
If near a bus stop, compute deviation from expected, and publish to the database (route, trip, bus-stop, deviation, time-of-day)

This database can be used for several purposes.
  • When is the next bus going to arrive at my stop?  
  • Will I make my connection to my next bus?
  • Various management functions at HQ. for example 
    • Is it worth delaying the connecting bus at a stop? (we know where most of the people on this bus usually go)
    • Where is the best place to put reserved bus lanes?
    • Apply pressure on Pointe Claire municipality to fix the traffic lights at Fairview!

No comments:

Post a Comment