Externiture
Passenger Information System For Bus Transportation
Externiture
Externiture is a leading UK provider of bus shelters, bus stop infrastructure, refurbishment, and maintenance. Externiture now is Working alongside the largest County Councils and PTEs, as well as the smallest Town/Parish Councils, and they provide an outstanding level of accuracy and service. They also provide civil engineering services - especially concerning bus shelters - but also cycle paths, footways, and connecting footways - i.e. anything that needs location-based project execution.
Objective
The Client is among top Passenger Information System (PIS) provider retaining information of around 3,00,000 bus stops across UK covers Bus Stop Infrastructure and Timetable Communication since 2003. Client wanted to further diversify and optimize their business processes with automation to make transport process more efficient.
Client intends to build customized PIS application to automate Information System as their team was utilising diversified tools for different process including Assets management, Time table automation, printing, stop / shelters maintenance, printing and designing which desynchronise process with destabilizing communication. Membership module provides provision in application for distribution of application to bus service provides on subscription basis to make transportation services more robust.
Aspect of the application covers Information and Management which help making Bus Timetables for any Stop in UK with track of Bus arrival/departure time and stops. Complexity while development of PIS was with replicating all the features of existing applications client’s team use with interlinking.
Technologies We Used
Challenges
Client had some pre-existing application modules utilizing ASP.NET MVC 3 architecture, which they wanted our team to undertake and reinvent in .Net Core with bridging any gaps to increase effectiveness.
Techbit team had to build intelligent transport system which could manage whole PIS needs which client has been superintending his work using different tools. Team as well determined to manage database perfectly as client had database with million records where team followed certain integrity rules to ensure that the data contain stay accurate and are always accessible.
Some of the major components team took care of:
- Relational database to non-relational database to reduced queries time from days to minutes.
- Accessibility to fetch data from government database following compliance.
- Enable to update bus schedule in 15 minutes to reflect on print. (which was taking 30 days)
- Assets management with 30+ categories.
- Mobile app development and integration for real time information / image share.
- Bus time table schedule templates or edit them.
- Adobe Illustrator SDK Integration for Time table Generation.
Detailed discussion with client to understand every aspect of his business and issues faced with data management. We came up with the solution to build Passenger Information with Asset Management System which provide accessibility to Bus locations with time chart. We had to build application in such a way where it can cover various aspects all together, such as Bus Stop & Shelter Maintenance, Timetable Posting including Timetable cases, Bus Stop infrastructure, Prints & Designs, and more.
Major challenge was to develop Intelligent Transport System with data management and assists management system which has huge database covering 300k bus stops records. We provided provision which allow to update data of buses on application with import of XML, CSV files with following some instruction which helped us to create proper chart for the bus stops with following RTIG(Real Time Information Group) guidelines. Our efforts to improve the speed were a success when we migrated relational to non-relational database.
Client as well provides services in bus stop hardware and Infrastructure which had to be covered in the Asset management with the millions of records. Major Components we had to cover in the application were Bus Stop Maintenance, Shelter Maintenance, Shelter Cleaning, Timetable Posting Board, Timetable Cases, Infrastructure (Include multi-purpose flags, traffic signs and stunning bus stop posts), Bus Shelters, Print & Design (including Flag Graphics, Route Number Graphics Timetable Print & More.
Approach
We followed microservice architecture for development of Passenger Information and Asset Management System after deep analysis of workflow in real-time.
Development of PIS was done in a way that makes the estimation of the arrivals time in every stop/station possible – considering the interventions of the dispatcher and using the static time table. The central passenger information system uses mathematical algorithms to keep the track of all the information with road map chart of buses.
In London and many other towns & cities our PIS at bus stops/stations has helped to make public transport more punctual and predictable for the passengers.
Major features team covered while development was:
- Auto Bus time table chart builder as per instructions.
- Bus stops showing when the next buses will arrive.
- Automatic Refresh of Bus Times Countdown for most up to date information.
- Scheduled departure times for all the listed stops and stations in Britain.
- Asset Management solution for bus stop infrastructure including Bus shelters, Maintenance,
- Promotions, Cleaning, Timetable Posting Board, Timetable Cases & more.
- Integration of PIS with UK government travel data following RTIG.
- Xamarin Mobile App for order management
- Adobe Illustrator SDK Integration for Time table Generation.
