Ever find yourself standing at the bus stop wondering where your bus is?
There’s an app for that.
Using open GPS data obtained from TransLink, Ontario software developer Steve Veerman has created busmaple, a web-based app that gives riders a live view of every bus in the Metro Vancouver fleet.
Providing a live visualization of the entire system is one way busmaple is different from Radar, another helpful app that also provides live tracking of TransLink buses. Radar requires the user to enter the bus route number.
“Unlike Radar, which is iPhone only, busmaple is designed to work beautifully on any device with a modern web browser. The reality is that not everyone taking public transit is able to afford the newest iPhone, so I tried very hard to make a great web app that is platform independent,” Veerman said in an email to the Sun. “In terms of unique features, busmaple largely ignores traditional schedule information as buses are hardly ever on time. Instead it focuses on providing a holistic view of the entire TransLink system, plotting every vehicle simultaneously, and allowing users to engage vehicles for route information. Fundamentally I believe that a well-designed map visualization is a great way to communicate information across language barriers. While I understand that my implementation isn’t for everyone, it do believe it fits many use cases.”
Busmaple works in 11 different Canadian cities, along with 102 U.S. systems and two European centres.
Filed under: Now, STAFF Tagged: Apple iPhone, Computer Technology, Ontario, Public Transportation, Science and Technology, software, Steve Veerman, technology, transportation, United States, Vancouver Image may be NSFW.
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