Recalculating…New app to provide real-time transit navigation

A new application, currently in development, will provide transit passengers with route updates in real time. Sounding similar to the recently released Google Maps for Android Transit Navigation feature, SMART-WAY uses the phone’s GPS system to keep track of the rider’s location and will vibrate when the destination or transfer point is coming up. Users can stop along the way, switch modes, or enter a new destination. The app — which is modeled after vehicle navigation guides — can recalculate the route in real time. And by accessing real-time transit location data, SMART-WAY can suggest alternatives when traffic jams, delays, or early arrivals affect transfers. Researchers at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems are working with partners in industry and the research community to develop the system, which will run on the Android mobile platform. They plan to test SMART-WAY in Turin and Dresden this fall and roll out the app across Europe in 2012. Link to full story in Gizmag.

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