Real-time Transit Information Accuracy

Real-time Transit Information Accuracy PDF Author: Aaron Isaac Gooze
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Local transit
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
When presented in a practical format, real-time transit information can improve sustainable travel methods by enhancing the transit experience. Larger shifts towards public transportation have cascading effects on the environment, health and urban form. The research will identify the positive shift realized by the continued development of a set of real-time transit information tools, specifically in the Seattle region. In addition, it will analyze real-time prediction errors and their effects on the rider experience. Three years after the development of location-aware mobile applications for OneBusAway - a suite of real-time information tools - a survey of current users was conducted by the author in 2012 in order to compare the results to a 2009 study. The results show significant positive shifts in satisfaction with transit, perceptions of safety and ridership frequency as a result of the increased use of real-time arrival information. However, the research will also provide a perspective of the margin of error riders come to expect and the negative effects resulting from inaccuracies with the real-time data. While riders on average will ride less when they have experienced errors, a robust issue-reporting system as well as the resolution of the error can mitigate the initial negative effects. In response, the research provides a framework for a crowd-sourced error reporting process in order to improve the level of accuracy by means of a Transit Ambassador Program. Finally, a pilot program developed by the author is assessed against this framework and insight is provided within the context of the real-time information system.

Real-time Bus Arrival Information Systems

Real-time Bus Arrival Information Systems PDF Author: Carol L. Schweiger
Publisher: Transportation Research Board
ISBN: 0309069653
Category : Bus lines
Languages : en
Pages : 71

Book Description
The synthesis describes the state of the practice in real-time bus arrival informations systems, including both U.S. and international experience. The panel for this project chose to focus on bus systems, rather than all transit modes, and on the following six elements of these systems: bus system characteristics; real-time bus arrival information system characteristics, including information about the underlying technology and dissemination media; system prediction, accuracy, and reliability; system costs; customer and media reactions; and institutional and organizational issues associated with the system.

Use and Deployment of Mobile Device Technology for Real-time Transit Information

Use and Deployment of Mobile Device Technology for Real-time Transit Information PDF Author: Carol L. Schweiger
Publisher: Transportation Research Board
ISBN: 0309143462
Category : Bus lines
Languages : en
Pages : 90

Book Description
Ch. 1. Introduction. Project background and objectives. Technical approach to the project. Report organization -- ch. 2. Literature review. Underlying technology. Mobile device technology. Characteristics of the mobile information. Resources required to provide mobile services. Contribution of mobile messaging to an overall agency communications strategy -- ch. 3. Characteristics of underlying technology. Mobile technology, and mobile information. Underlying technology and real-time mobile message types. Mobile technology. Characteristics of real-time information provided on mobile devices -- ch. 4. Resource requirements -- ch. 5. Contribution of mobile messaging to agency communications strategy -- ch. 6. Case studies. Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (Portland, OR). Bay Area Rapid Transit District (Oakland, CA). LeeTran (Lee County/Fort Myers, FL). Transport for London (London, United Kingdom) -- ch. 7. Findings, lessons learned, and conclusions. Summary of project scope. Project findings. Lessons learned -- Conclusions -- Suggestions for future study -- References -- appendix A. Bibliography -- appendix B. Survey questionnaire -- appendix C. List of agencies responding to the survey -- appendix D. Additional information.

Using Real-time Data to Improve Reliability on High-frequency Transit Services

Using Real-time Data to Improve Reliability on High-frequency Transit Services PDF Author: David W. Maltzan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 153

Book Description
In recent years, automatically-collected data from many transit agencies have been made available to the public in real time. This has dramatically improved the experience of riding transit, by allowing passengers to use detailed information on the current state of service to make more informed travel decisions. The "open data" movement has allowed independent mobile-phone app developers to create a variety of useful tools to improve the passenger experience. However, agencies' use of real-time data for operational purposes has lagged behind customer-facing app development. This research examines the use of real-time data for the application of operational control strategies on transit services. Two high-frequency bus routes of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority are used as a case study. It begins with the development of an application to download, interpret, and present data on bus service and recommended control actions in a graphical user interface. This application is then used to conduct an experiment with a terminal-based holding strategy on MBTA Route 1. The results of this experiment drive further investigation into the causes of deviations from scheduled or assigned departure times at terminals. To supplement the experimental data, a simulation model of MBTA Routes 1 and 28 is developed. This simulation is used to test additional control strategies, as well as the effect of reducing unexplained operator deviations from assigned departure times. The research finds that real-time data can be used to create significant operational improvements. In particular, holding strategies at terminals, along with reducing unexplained operator deviations from assigned terminal departure times, have a strong effect. Several specific recommendations are made for a number of strategies that the MBTA can use to improve the precision of terminal departure times on bus services. This research also finds that holding at midpoints and short-turning can provide some additional benefit, but the costs and benefits to passengers of these strategies are more complicated and should be investigated with further research and implemented using optimization schemes rather than the heuristic rules used here.

Evaluating the Impact of Real-time Transit Information on Ridership and Modal Share

Evaluating the Impact of Real-time Transit Information on Ridership and Modal Share PDF Author: Candace Brakewood
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Choice of transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 153

Book Description
Public transit agencies often struggle with service reliability issues; when a bus or train does not arrive on time, passengers become frustrated and may be less likely to choose transit for future trips. To address reliability problems, transit authorities increasingly provide real-time vehicle location and arrival information to riders via web enabled and mobile devices. Although prior studies have found several benefits of offering this information to passengers, researchers have had difficulty determining if real-time information affects ridership levels. Therefore, the objective of this dissertation is to quantify the impact of real-time information on public transit ridership. Statistical and econometric methods were used to analyze passenger behavior in three American cities that share a common real-time information platform: New York City, Tampa, and Atlanta. New York City was the setting for a natural experiment in which real-time bus information was gradually launched on a borough-by-borough basis over a three year period. Panel regression techniques were used to evaluate route-level bus ridership while controlling for changes in transit service, fares, local socioeconomic conditions, weather, and other factors. In Tampa, a behavioral experiment was performed with a before-after control group design in which access to real-time bus information was the treatment variable and web-based surveys measured behavior changes over a three month period. In Atlanta, a methodology to combine smart card fare collection data with web-based survey responses was developed to quantify changes in transit travel of individual riders in a before-after study. In summary, each study utilized different data sources and quantitative methods to assess changes in transit ridership. The results varied between cities and suggest that the impact of real-time information on transit travel is greatest in locations that have high levels of transit service. These findings have immediate implications for decision-makers at transit agencies, who often face pressure to increase ridership with limited resources.

A Research Strategy for Ocean-Based Carbon Dioxide Removal and Sequestration

A Research Strategy for Ocean-Based Carbon Dioxide Removal and Sequestration PDF Author: Division on Earth and Life Studies
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780309087612
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
As of 2021, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have reached historically unprecedented levels, higher than at any time in the past 800,000 years. Worldwide efforts to reduce emissions by creating a more efficient, carbon-free energy system may not be enough to stabilize the climate and avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies, which remove and sequester carbon from the atmosphere, likely will be needed to meet global climate goals. The ocean, covering 70% of the Earth's surface, includes much of the global capacity for natural carbon sequestration; the ocean also holds great potential for uptake and longerterm sequestration of human-produced CO2. This report builds on previous work from the National Academies to assess what is currently known about the benefits, risks, and potential for responsible scale-up of six specific ocean-based CDR strategies as identified by the sponsor, ClimateWorks Foundation. It describes the research needed to advance understanding of those approaches and address knowledge gaps. The resulting research agenda is meant to provide an improved and unbiased knowledge base for the public, stakeholders, and policymakers to make informed decisions on the next steps for ocean CDR, as part of a larger climate mitigation strategy; it is not meant to lock in or advocate for any particular approach.

TCRP Synthesis 91

TCRP Synthesis 91 PDF Author: NGSS.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description


Dependable and Historic Computing

Dependable and Historic Computing PDF Author: Cliff Jones
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642245404
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 532

Book Description
This Festschrift volume, published in honor of Brian Randell on the occasion of his 75th birthday, contains a total of 37 refereed contributions. Two biographical papers are followed by the six invited papers that were presented at the conference 'Dependable and Historic Computing: The Randell Tales', held during April 7-8, 2011 at Newcastle University, UK. The remaining contributions are authored by former scientific colleagues of Brian Randell. The papers focus on the core of Brian Randell’s work: the development of computing science and the study of its history. Moreover, his wider interests are reflected and so the collection comprises papers on software engineering, storage fragmentation, computer architecture, programming languages and dependability. There is even a paper that echoes Randell’s love of maps. After an early career with English Electric and then with IBM in New York and California, Brian Randell joined Newcastle University. His main research has been on dependable computing in all its forms, especially reliability, safety and security aspects, and he has led several major European collaborative projects.

Urban Informatics

Urban Informatics PDF Author: Wenzhong Shi
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 9811589836
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 941

Book Description
This open access book is the first to systematically introduce the principles of urban informatics and its application to every aspect of the city that involves its functioning, control, management, and future planning. It introduces new models and tools being developed to understand and implement these technologies that enable cities to function more efficiently – to become ‘smart’ and ‘sustainable’. The smart city has quickly emerged as computers have become ever smaller to the point where they can be embedded into the very fabric of the city, as well as being central to new ways in which the population can communicate and act. When cities are wired in this way, they have the potential to become sentient and responsive, generating massive streams of ‘big’ data in real time as well as providing immense opportunities for extracting new forms of urban data through crowdsourcing. This book offers a comprehensive review of the methods that form the core of urban informatics from various kinds of urban remote sensing to new approaches to machine learning and statistical modelling. It provides a detailed technical introduction to the wide array of tools information scientists need to develop the key urban analytics that are fundamental to learning about the smart city, and it outlines ways in which these tools can be used to inform design and policy so that cities can become more efficient with a greater concern for environment and equity.

Real-time Transit Passenger Information

Real-time Transit Passenger Information PDF Author: Landon T. Reed
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Intelligent transportation systems
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
As the transportation sector fully integrates information technology, transit agencies face decisions that expose them to new technologies, relationships and risks. Accompanying a rise in transit-related web and mobile applications, a set of competing real-time transit data standards from both public and private organizations have emerged. The purpose of this research is to understand the standard-setting processes for these data standards and the forces that move the transit industry towards the widespread adoption of a data standard. This project will analyze through case studies and interviews with members of standard-setting organizations the development of three real-time transit data standards: (1) the development of the General Transit Feed Specification Realtime (GTFS-realtime), (2) the Service Interface for Real Time Information (SIRI), and (3) Transit Communications Interface Profiles (TCIP). The expected outcome of this research is an assessment of federal policy on standards development as well as an analysis of current and future trends in this sector--both technical and institutional. The results will inform federal transit policy and future action in standards-setting and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) requirements, identifying the potential catalysts that will increase the effectiveness of federal- and agency-level programs.