SmartTraveler Plus Overview Web Based Information

Transcription

1 SmartTraveler Plus Overview Web Based Information 1

2 SmartTraveler Plus Overview Web Based Information Following are Trademarks of ACS: ORBSTAR, ORBGUIDE, ORBTRAC, ORBCAD, SMARTMDT, SMARTCOUNT, SMARTDATA, SMARTSTOP, SMARTRAVELER, SMARTTRAVELER PLUS, ITPP This document contains confidential and proprietary information which comply with the uniform Trade Secrets Act due to its descriptions of proprietary techniques and processes, technical data, unique competitive advantages, and intellectual capital developed and owned by ACS, Inc. Therefore, ACS, Inc. has indicated as those pages that contain proprietary information that should not be publicly released. These marked pages are not to be discussed in whole or in part with others, except representatives of MATA. It is not to be utilized by anyone for any purposes other than evaluation without prior written consent of ACS, Inc. This includes data that shall not be disclosed outside MATA and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed in whole or in part -- for any purpose other than to evaluate. If, however, a contract is awarded to this offeror, as a result of, or in connection with, the submission of this data, MATA shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent provided in the resulting contract. This restriction does not limit MATA s right to use information contained in this data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. 2

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. SmartTraveler Plus Overview- Web Based Information Main Features of ACS SmartTraveler Plus Real-Time Map/Schedule Real-Time Map/Schedule Screen Overview Route Schedules Trip Planner NOTIFY ME Flexibility in Notification Formats BUS STOP DATABASE Map Examples SmartTraveler Plus Benefits i Page i

4 SMARTTRAVELER PLUS OVERVIEW T he ACS SmartTraveler Plus (STP) system manages and disseminates accurate, useful real-time bus service information to your passengers via the internet, web, or sms before they depart for a specific stop. A tremendous asset on a daily basis, SmartTraveler Plus is even more useful during inclement weather, when traveling at an unfamiliar time, or during a service disruption. The website gives transit customers real-time schedule information for each bus stop in the system from the comfort of the office, home, or hotel regardless of the user s location. MAIN FEATURES OF ACS SMARTTRAVELER PLUS Introductory/Home Page Provides buttons for real-time schedule information, route schedule, a trip planner (option), and personalized notifications. Map Visually displays public transit schedules with routes, bus stops and buses. Map users can click on a stop to get current real-time arrivals for that location or click on the bus icon and get the route, direction, and on-time status. Transit Messages Allows a transit system to provide current information regarding detours, service delays, and other pertinent details. Agencies also use this area to post text advertisements and post graphical advertisements in the header. Selecting a Stop Selects a stop via three different mechanisms: choosing the transit stop or its identification number, entering an address, or selecting a stop via a dropdown route listing. Recent Stops Stores the last five stops the user visited. The stop information includes the stop number and route(s). Users can bookmark up to five transit stops for easy access. Configurable style Inherits style properties from parent pages of the specific transit system website. Below is a brief overview of the features and functionality of the ACS SmartTraveler Plus system. 1 Page 1

5 Figure 1- SmartTraveler Plus Home page. Above is a sample of the STP introductory/home page. From this page a visitor can access: Real-Time Map/Schedule information Route Schedules (planned schedules for routes and/or stops for either today or some day in the future) Trip Planner (link to the Google Trip Planner or any other third-party application). Notify Me where customer can sign up for real-time or SMS updates of their favorite stops The STP introductory/home page is both informative and intuitive and makes it easy to navigate through the site especially a first time visitor. Hovering over each button provides an explanation of that button s offering. The STP introductory/home page also allows the agency to distribute Transit Messages/Service Advisories to visitors (messages that are repeated throughout the STP screens to keep the public up-todate on any possible service delays). Visitors can link to the agency website by clicking on the logo in the upper left-hand corner. Real-Time Map/Schedule (RTMS) The Real-Time Map/Schedule button allows visitors to access real-time status on their bus and/or bus stop. The user is able to search for information a variety of ways: 2 Page 2

6 Find by Recent Stops Find by Stop Number Find by Route Find by Address Find by Map Figure 2 Tabs allow multiple options to search for transit information. Find By Recent Stops: The STP system saves the 5 most recent stops in the left corner of the screen for easy user access (based on past selections). Clicking on the desired stop from the Recent Stops list automatically centers the map on that stop location and display the ETAs for that stop on the left hand side of the screen. Find by Stop Number: Frequent riders know their favorite stop # for easy access to real-time information. Once a stop is entered, the RTMS displays all the routes that service that stop. Users can easily drill down to the information they are looking for by choosing the route. Users also get to see other routes service that stop routes that they might not have been aware of before. Find by Route: If a user can t remember the stop, then searching by route is an excellent method. All active routes are displayed and available from a dropdown list on the Find by Route page. 3 Page 3

7 Once a user selects the route, a list of stops associated with the selected route drops down. After selecting the stop the map centers on that stop and shows the ETA of buses serving that stop for the selected route. Find by Address: Users can also search by entering in an address. In the example above 123 Park Ave was entered in as the address. The STP system limits the search to a geographical area (so it is not looking for 123 Park Ave in Florida). If multiple addresses are found, the visitor can than choose the address they are looking for and the routes that service near that address will appear. Users select the route they want and the map centers to the nearest stop on that route to the selected address. They can reselect from the address list if they realize they have chosen an incorrect location (the list does not disappear once a selection is made). Real-Time Map/Schedule Screen Overview Below is a sample screen shot of the Real-Time Map/Schedule Overview page where the user searched by stop number. The search options described above are across the top of the screen with the map display as the main section of the page. A large green dot represents selected stop. Red dots indicate bus stops available in the schedule. ETAs of the selected bus appear on the left side of the screen. System wide Transit Messages/Service Advisories scroll across the screen. STP also shows Transit Messages/Service Advisories messages unique to the selected stop. The design makes it easy, informative, and intuitive to use. The Map appears in Satellite or Hybrid view. 4 Page 4

8 Figure 3 - Real Time Map & Schedule Information Screen (comments and arrows added for information purposes only). Bus Icons & Status With STP the visitor can mouse over a moving vehicle on the map. The real-time data is then displayed for that particular vehicle. 5 Page 5

9 Route Schedules The Route Schedules page displays scheduled or planned service for a given stop, route and/or day. Visitors simply select a route, a stop, and a date, and then click on Submit. The schedule for the selected route and stop is highlighted in the schedule table (see image below). This page provides future schedules available in the system. Figure 4 - Route Schedule page with selected route highlighted. 6 Page 6

10 Trip Planner From the trip planner page links to the Agency s existing trip planner web site or to Google Trip Planner with customer schedule data feed provided by the SmartTraveler Plus system. Figure 5 - SmartTraveler Plus Google Transit Trip Planner. 7 Page 7

11 NOTIFY ME The Notify Me button lets registered users setup up personal bus arrival notifications and alerts via SMS or messages. The user profile is then saved in the SmartTraveler Plus system and can be edited at any time. Forgotten passwords can be ed to user via a secure procedure Figure 6 - Notify Me Registration page. 8 Page 8

12 Once the user is registered, the screen displays a map, a list of recent stops and the requested notifications. The user can check a box to receive the notification request or delete it. Figure 7 - Notify Me Main Page (same look and feel as the Real-Time Map/Schedule page allowing for easy navigation). Flexibility in Notification Formats Flexibility in notification format (SMS, , etc.) and support of a wide range of devices (PC, PDAs, phone, etc.) is available with the Smart Traveler Plus system. The Transit Authority will be responsible for the exchange server for notification unless otherwise noted and contracted. Users can access stop arrival information from their cell phones by going to the STP mobile site and entering the stop #. Users can find schedule information for a given stop from their cell phones by entering stop, route, date and time. The arrival information follows a similar format as LED/LCD displays including route number, destination and the next five arrival times. Users can also access the non-mobile site from their phones and will see the same site as they would on a regular workstation. 9 Page 9

13 SmartTraveler Plus Mobile Menu. To see Scheduled Arrival times, enter a stop and then select GO. Scheduled Arrival times for Stop 19. Enter stop, route, date and time period - then submit to see Stop Information. 10 Page 10

14 Stop Information appears. Transit Messages (Global). Enter Stop to see messages unique to that location. 11 Page 11

15 BUS STOP DATABASE The bus stop database is created as part of the schedule import task. It automatically inserts the (scheduled) arrival times for each stop/route/pattern/direction into the OrbCAD database. The user has cab edit the information, based on known real-world conditions if desired. ACS SmartTraveler Plus uses this database to predict arrival (or departure) information at each stop. This procedure allows the visitor to specify a specific stop and get the next X buses arriving, or all the buses arriving in the next X minutes. Additional queries are provided to get a list of bus stops for a given route. Map Examples The STP Map can be viewed in three different formats (based on Google Maps). 1. Map View 2. Satellite View 3. Hybrid View Zoom Level The zoom level is limited so visitors don t accidentally zoom out too far and lose site of the service area. As the visitor zooms out, the amount of information appearing on the map (e.g., stops and/or buses)reduces because the map becomes difficult to navigate if all the stops are displayed in the service area. Below are the 3 examples of the maps users can choose as they navigate through the system. Users can easily switch between the different map views during their visit. Map View Satellite View Hybrid View 12 Page 12

16 SMARTTRAVELER PLUS BENEFITS Improved Customer Service Increased Ridership Lowers Cost Integration to OrbCAD CAD AVL Customers look at the STP site first to answer everyday questions. Call center busy signals and hold times are reduced or eliminated. Riders have convenient 24/7 Web access to the best available trip plans and schedules Trip announcements and service advisories can be disseminated as soon as they occur Convenient access helps attract new riders Search options make trip planning easy Increases call center capacity without adding staff and reducing overall cost per call. No recurring monthly service fees to host or update data Eliminates the need to keep track of changes in multiple places Automatically adjusts based on new information in real time Supports/Recognizes interlining impact to arrival times and relays the correct information to the transit customer even as the vehicle moves from one route to the next. 13 Page 13