the milestones of mass transit cs 410 blue group communicate 2me
TRANSCRIPT
THE MILESTONES OF MASS TRANSIT
CS 410 Blue Group
communicate2Me
A Brief Overview
• The Problem• Our Solution• Evaluation Plan
• Four Phases
o Staffingo Costs
• What is being provided and what is not• Risks and their mitigation• Funding/Budget
• Conclusion
2
April 9th, 2009CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
Meet the Team
April 9th, 2009
3
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
Overarching Problem
Passenger needs are not addressed by mass
transportation systems.
4
April 9th, 2009CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
The Wait
Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) routes can have passengers wait anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour in suburban areas such as Chesapeake or Virginia Beach.
Source: http://www.gohrt.com/faresandinformation/busroutes/busroutes.html
5
April 9th, 2009CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
Inclement Weather & The Chase
On average there is precipitation 115 days a year in Virginia.
Source: http://www.met.utah.edu/jhorel/html/wx/climate/daysrain.html
Passengers not waiting in the designated bus stop areas are often overlooked by the bus driver.
6
April 9th, 2009CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
Heavy Passenger Loads & Bus Bunching
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
In July, there are currently at least 55 festival events in Norfolk.
Source: http://www.festeventsva.org/calendar/current-events/
Routes like the Net in Norfolk and the Wave in Virginia Beach have buses running as close as 6 minutes apart.
April 9th, 2009
7
Missing the Bus
Causes:• Bus is Off Schedule• Passenger Late Arrival to Stop• Unaware of Real-time Schedules• Driver Unaware of Awaiting Customers
Effects:• Schedule Problems • Lower Passenger Appreciation• Less Passengers• Less Revenue
8
April 9th, 2009CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
Regional Transit Need is Increasing
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
• Hampton Roads has a population of 1.5 million• By 2025, Hampton Roads is projected for 2.5 million
• Annual Ridership on HRT: 18.5 million• Buses in the HRT System: 343• Average bus capacity is currently only at 15%
• Severe congestion is expected on 1,221 lane miles in Hampton
Roads in 2026
Source: http://www.hrtransit.org/pdf/hrtbrochure/HRT_Brochure.pdf http://www.gohrt.com/pdf/strategicplan/Strategic%20Plan%20Final%20--%20November%202008.pdf
April 9th, 2009
9
A Proposed Solution: communicate2Me
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
Increase coordination of passengers and drivers by providing real time bi-directional
information
April 9th, 2009
10
The Solution
Real-time information for the driver such as: Prioritization of stops Number of commuters waiting at the next stop for
their route Accessible and convenient to end users Reasonable cost for transportation companies
11
April 9th, 2009CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
communicate2Me - The Solution
April 9th, 2009
12
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
A Feasible Implementation
Passengers will be provided with methods to:• Allow Stop Reservations via:
o Personal Computer and Web Siteo Cellular Phone / Short Message Service(SMS) Texting
• Have notifications of changes in schedule
o SMS notification serviceo Email
Result:• Increases Coordination between driver and passenger
13
April 9th, 2009CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
April 9th, 2009
Benefits
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
Passengers:• Better Service• More Interaction• Greater Satisfaction
Bus Drivers:• Warning of Waiting Passengers• Increased Awareness of Future Loads• More Efficient Routes
14
Evaluation Plan
• Time o Measured against baseline project plan
• Cost o Measured against budget plan per phase
• Scope o Measured against requirements document
• Quality o Measured by customer and end user
satisfaction
April 9th, 2009
15
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
{phase 0} - concept (60 days)
Milestones Problem Area DevelopmentFeasibility ResearchMilestone SchedulingWebsite DevelopmentSBIR Proposals
Acceptance Criteria
Review Board Acceptance
April 9th, 2009
16
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
{phase 0} - organizational chart
April 9th, 2009
17
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
{phase i} - prototype (130 days)
Milestones
Prototype SpecificationsTest PlanUser ManualsProposalPrototype Construction Demonstration
Acceptance Criteria
Review Board Acceptance
April 9th, 2009
18
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
{phase i} - prototype components
April 9th, 2009
19
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
{phase i} - financials
April 9th, 2009
20
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
{phase i} - hardware requirements
hardware qty total
SMS & Web Server 1 $1,500Software Development Workstation 1 $2,000Cellular Phones 2 $800
overall hardware costs $4,300
April 9th, 2009
21
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
{phase ii} - critical design (1 year)
Milestones
Web InterfaceWeb Message Algorithm
SMS Gateway Development
Algorithm DevelopmentAlgorithm Testing
Transit InterfaceInterface Test
Acceptance Criteria Interfaces with Google Transit
Receives SMS Messages
Passes Tests
Connects with Transit Authority's Systems
April 9th, 2009
22
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
{phase ii} - organizational chart
April 9th, 2009
23
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
{phase ii} - major components
April 9th, 2009
24
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
{phase ii} - financials
April 9th, 2009
25
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
{phase ii} - hardware requirements
hardware qty cost Total
SMS Server 2 $1000. $2,000
Web Server 1 $2000. $2,000
Algorithm Server 2 $2000. $4,000SMS Service / Credits (yearly) 1 $36,000 $36,000
overall hardware costs $44,000
April 9th, 2009
26
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
{phase iii} - production & beyond
Milestones
Support Current Installations Improvement: Modifications to Interface Improvements to Algorithm
Acceptance Criteria
Market Penetration Market Acceptance
Profitability
April 9th, 2009
27
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
{phase iii} - organizational chart
April 9th, 2009
28
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
{phase iii} - financials
April 9th, 2009
29
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
in the box
• Service to set up and maintain: o Short Messaging Service gatewayso Web serverso Application servers
• Algorithm to communicate between end users and bus drivers
April 9th, 2009
30
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
not in the box
• Buses• Wireless communication between buses
and Transit Center• Tracking system for buses (GPS, RFID)
April 9th, 2009
31
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
who is the customer?
Initial customers: Transportation • Hampton Roads Transit (HRT)• Metropolitan Transportation Authorities
Future customers (Phase III+) Shipping• United States Postal Service (USPS)• United Parcel Service (UPS)
Other Services• Cable• Utilities
April 9th, 2009
32
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
price point
April 9th, 2009
33
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
Costs:
Yearly Cost to Customer: $400,000
Customer ROI:•Increases fuel mileage by 3%, saving $200,000 a year•Increases choice ridership, leading to more customers
April 9th, 2009
current competition
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
34
risks & pitfalls
1. Interoperability problems
2. Latency Issues3. Abuse of the system4. SMS message costs 5. Phone incompatibility6. Transit operator
ignoring system 7. Down Time
April 9th, 2009
35
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
risk mitigation
Interoperability: • Direct Communication with each Transit Authority's
technicians Latency:• Optimize Incoming SMS Processing Time• Synchronize Driver Updates based on Position
Abuse of the System:• No way to mitigate without tracking passengers
Transit Operator Ignoring System:• Education• Tracking of Requests to Pickups
April 9th, 2009
36
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
budget
Funding Source: Department of Transportationo SBIR – Phase 1: $100,000o SBIR – Phase 2 : $650,000o SBIR –Phase 3: Small Business Loan/Venture Capatilists
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=MgLfJcyflkGLZ3tLyF7Rj6GTJrn0PfTyyFvzsQtD1TNF10WzQqWS!-802466050?oppId=46140&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW
http://www.gohrt.com/pdf/budget/Budget_2009.pdf
April 9th, 2009
37
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
cost to develop
• Phase 0:o Free
• Phase 1:o Hardware Resources - $4,300.00o Personnel Resources - $14,525.00
• Phase 2:o Hardware Resources - $44,000.00o Personnel Resources - $443,114.00
• Phase 3:o Hardware Resources - $37,200.00o Personnel Resources - $286,860.00
Total - $829,999.00
April 9th, 2009
38
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
breaking even
April 9th, 2009
39
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
closing statements
Current Systems are One-Way: • Informing the passengers, not Interacting with them.
communicate2Me promises to:• Connect Passengers with Drivers, and Vice Versa
Each phase is feasible in terms of:• Cost• Requirements• Staffing
let's do it!
communicate2Me
April 9th, 2009
40
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009
Any questions?
April 9th, 2009
41
CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009