METRO tracks down improved technology for trains
Posted on 01. Sep, 2009 by Tony Arranaga in Featured, News
A METRO spokesperson says she is unaware of the company which has plans to create an iPhone app for transit agencies across the country, including the one here in Phoenix, but does confirm there’s dialogue within Valley Metro about one day using Google transit.
I first mentioned the iPhone application here, which features an augmented reality function according to the website Discover Anywhere Mobile. AR is relatively new technology which allows users to look through the lens of their cell phone camera to see names of nearby points of interest. The Discovery Anywhere site says the app can provide detailed listings for rail, light rail, subway stops and airports across North America. Underneath a series of screencaps showcasing the application, the website displays logos of current transit agencies around the country. Phoenix Valley Metro’s logo is one of them. Does that mean Phoenix will soon see this particular app in iTunes?
“We just have METRO light rail stations encoded, plus some information we’ve taken from Wikipedia,” writes David Janes of Discovery Anywhere in a comment to my post. A follow up email from the official spokesperson confirmed the comment by Janes.
In addition to the comment, Janes left a link to a picture showing what the app might look like for Phoenix. Discovery Anywhere has given me permission to post that picture below. In a follow up email, I’m being told the picture is not a mockup but the real thing.
“If the app is successful, we’ll probably start integrating more Google Transit features,” says Janes. ”This will depend on Phoenix ending up here.” Janes points to the list of cities that provide Google with their bus and train schedules, which allows Google to then give passengers step by step instructions on how to get to their destination, similar to Google maps. Phoenix does not provide Google with transit information. Instead, Valley Metro uses a system called ShareTheRide which you can read about here and here.
So will we ever see Google transit in Phoenix? There’s a possibility.
“We have had internal dialogue about using Google Transit,” says METRO spokesperson Hillary Foose. ”(and) opening up our scheduling data for these kinds of formats.”
Hmm…to be continued.
3 Responses to “METRO tracks down improved technology for trains”
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David_SB
01. Sep, 2009
@lightrailblog Long overdue. Will comment in more detail on the blog.
michichan
01. Sep, 2009
@lightrailblog will never happen as long as City of Phx owns the data.
David SB
02. Sep, 2009
A switch from the present system to Google Transit would be a welcome and long overdue development. The current trip planner on Valley Metro’s site is extraordinarily clunky. It seems to want exact addresses and often fails to produce a route based on an approximate address or intersection. In addition, the current system is standalone, whereas Google Transit meshes with Google Maps and other tools that many are used to.