FP-YiTaoWang-NeilChopra-RaymondChou
From Visualization Sp06
Contents |
Proposal
Group Members
- Neil Chopra
- Raymond Chou
- Yi-Tao Wang
Description
Transportation systems have commonly lacked interactive visualizations to allow users to quickly search routes. Many transportation websites only have text schedules and information. In order to solve this problem, we plan to create a toolkit that allows users to easily create a visualization for any transit system. The resulting visualization can then be used by customers of the transit system to find their stops and figure out which buses/trains to take. The features we would like to include are:
Toolkit
- Selecting a map region to use for background image (intending to use Google API)
- Drawing routes visually and/or creating stops by address input
- Inputting schedules/fares
- Save and Load visualizations
End User
- Selecting a point and finding the nearest station
- Selecting a station to display current schedules
- Select two endpoints and see possible routes/fares
- Enter in starting and ending addresses for full directions
- Live updates of train positions
For example, if a user wished to create a visualization for the BART system, he would simply select an image of the Bay Area (similar to the one currently used on bart.gov). He would then enter the addresses of all the stops and draw out the path between the routes or let the program connect the stops with straight lines. Afterwards, he would upload or enter the BART schedule and the application would generate a graphical display of the routes and trains (the locations of the trains will be estimated based on the inputted schedules). The user can then save this configuration to be loaded later.
After the user creates a visualization of the BART system, riders can query the visualization to plan out their trips. They can enter their address and find the closest stop to them. The application will also show which BART trains are coming around a specified time and when it will reach their destination.
