Introduction
The info-mobility application made by Speakage for mobile devices (iPhone / iPad) allows you to: locate on the map of the city your current position, placing it in relation to public transport, through the fotocamera view with the closest stops due to Augmented Reality; plan the best route to go to reach the optimal target, in relation to traffic and at the appointed time.
Illustrated below are the characteristics of the application developed for ATM, the city's public transport company of Milan.
Map
Navigation of the map of Milan and interaction with routes
The map is always displayed with a 2D visualization.
When launching the application, the map shows the place where the user is currently located. As an alternative, the Google map will appear showing the entire city:
Your position can be tracked through the GPS system which is included in the mobile device. Every time users launch the app, the system automatically recognizes the user’s new position.
Saved and newly created routes are displayed on the map. It is also possible to visualize the POI (Point of Interest) and to display all the stops of the required public transport line.
Public transport routes and POI are selectable.
The toolbar allows you to select the kind of information to display by choosing between underground and above ground transports.
Detail information about stops
POI displayed on the map are interactive: with a simple tap users can access the details of each public transport stop.
Detail information about stops - Underground
The POI of each route stop can be selected in order to:
1. Become the starting or the end point of a new research, facilitating the creation of a new route.
With a simple tap, the POI is displayed within the form in order to calculate the new route. The user can decide if setting it as a starting or as an end point.
2. Access the HTML visualization of the timetable of each stop.
3. Consult possible shutdown of some stops due to public works, problems or delays.
4. Create a list of favorites, which is a list of the user’s frequently used stops easily retrievable , facilitating the consultation of all the detail information and the selection in a new search.
To insert the POI in the list of favorites the user needs to tap the icon displayed on the stop detail section.
Detail information about stops - Above-ground (1)
The POI of each route can be selected in order to:
Become the starting or the end point of a new research, facilitating the creation of a new route.
With a simple tap, the POI is displayed within the form in order to calculate the new route. The user can decide if setting it as a starting or as an end point.
Access the HTML visualization of the time table of each stop.
Display the waiting times both for stops and transport lines.
Detail information about stops - Above-ground (2)
1. The user can update the waiting times with a tap on the “update” icon.
2. Get information about the traffic concerning the selected public transport stop:
ATM offers information about the traffic in the area around the selected stop and line.
3. Create a list of favorites, that is a list of the user’s frequently used stops easily retrievable , facilitating the consultation of all the detail information and the selection in a new search.
To insert the POI in the list of favorites the user needs to tap the icon displayed on the stop detail section.
Research by stop
Users can make a detailed research of public transport stops. In particular, they can research by:
1. The name of the stop.
2. The numeric code displayed on the bus shelter.
Research by address
This feature is recommended for those who need to find public transports in a certain street. Once they inserted the street name all the POI, all the stops around the selected place will appear on the map.
Research by line
This feature allows users to visualize in a chart the complete list of the stops for each line. In particular, they can:
Organize the list of stops by route or alphabetical order.
Click on a stop and get the HTML timetable, waiting times, connections. Users can also calculate a new route or get information about the traffic situation
Research by route
This is the main and most interesting feature of the app. The route is generated once users insert a starting and an end point. They can select the time and the day of their trip in order to get information about the traffic situation.
1. The advanced research section allows users to choose which kind of transport they would like to use for their trip and according to date and time.
They can set a filter for the kind of transport: all kinds of transport, exclude underground, the fastest route, few connections, few stretches by feet).
2. The visualization of the route on the map makes a distinction among the stretches by feet and those covered by public transports by using different colours. The application provides a system suggesting the starting and end point while users insert them in the research form, thus making the research even easier and faster. An automatic switch feature is provided to invert the starting point with the end point, simply by tapping on the relative icon.
Favorites
As previously mentioned, the POI can be saved in a list of favorites. The access to this list is direct and intuitive, while the addition of new POI happens in the way previously described.
News
The news section allows users to be always updated about the situation of public transport, through the information disclosed directly by the public transport system. In particular they can:
1. Visualize info about traffic.
2. Access the information service news.
3. Activate a push notification news service in real time.
Through this service users are informed about the last news in a way very similar to the SMS system, receiving notification also when the app is closed.
It’s always possible to deactivate the reception of push notifications through the menu settings of your iPhone/iPad.
The reception of the news happens also when the app is closed or the while the user is using another app.
The notification comes with a ring and a preview of the message.
4. Users can decide which kind of push messages they want to receive: news about all the POI o just about the POI saved in their list of favorites.
Augmented Reality
Watching the streets with the camera, users can access the services of Augmented Reality: thanks to this technology, through some balloons, they can display all the information to locate both under and above-ground public transports around them within a 2Km radius.
There are two methods of visualization:
1. Landscape
It visualizes all the public transports around the user specifying the real distance in meters through the overlay of a graphic system (badge) which displays information with a maximum radius of 2KM.
Users can reach the stop by following the arrows on the screen. When the framing changes, the badges will move with the image keeping the benchmark of the located public transport.
2. Feetview
By tilting down the iPhone/iPad (framing the ground) users can visualize different badges (arrows) close to their feet. These badges indicate distance in meters from the starting point, guiding the the user towards the selected public transport.
Augmented Reality can be enabled at any time and it’s available only for iPad2, iPhone3GS/4 and following models. A simple list of all the stops with their positions is available for older models.
High definition
Support for the retina display of iPhone4