d rail d developer: marcela rodriguez curation: monika wahi creative analytics: xuan yang
Post on 29-Dec-2015
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dRAILdDeveloper: Marcela Rodriguez
Curation: Monika Wahi
Creative Analytics: Xuan Yang
dRAILdDeveloper: Marcela Rodriguez
Curation: Monika Wahi
Creative Analytics: Xuan Yang
Reverse Commuters on the MBCR• The Massachusetts Bay
Commuter Rail (MBCR) system is excellent, but not perfect. • Reverse commuters
get screwed in bad weather.
• Most stations are outdoors.
But don’t we already have an app for that?• While apps have already been developed
to track each train’s location, it is not possible to see where the train is if it is so late that it has not started on its route yet.• It may be delayed on a previous route,
but currently, this information is not retrievable on the app because that functionality has not been developed.
dRAILd adds the functionality to track an actual train,
called a “Consist Makeup”, through its journey through the
day. Therefore, if the train is backed up a few
routes, this will be evident.
Our Commuter
• Reverse commuter takes Framingham/Worcester Line from South Station to Natick and back every day.
• He works until 5:15 pm and likes to take the train that is scheduled to leave inbound from Natick at 5:45 pm
Photo from U.S. Army/Public Domain
Framingham/Worcester Line
Outbound originates at
South Station
Inbound may originate at Worcester
Inbound may originate at
Framingham
Natick Station
Direction Home
Scenario #1 - Ideal
Commuter Wants to Know
• At 5:00 pm, Reverse Commuter wants to know if his inbound 5:45 pm train out of Natick seems to be on time.
What Commuter Finds out
• The 5:45 pm at Natick originates in Worcester.
• The train used for this route comes into Worcester at 4:18 pm from South Station, so it can leave at 4:55 from Worcester to make it to Natick by 5:45
If the train really did get to Worcester at 4:18 pm and left
at 4:55 pm, a query at 5:00 pm would work with current
apps.
Scenario #2 – Messed Up
Commuter Wants to Know
• At 5:00 pm, Reverse Commuter wants to know if his inbound 5:45 pm train out of Natick seems to be on time.
What MCBR Knows
• The 5:45 pm at Natick originates in Worcester.
• At 5:00, query shows that train has not yet arrived at Worcester.• Further, it left South
Station 15 minutes late, at 3:00 pm instead of 2:45 pm.
Current apps could NOT tell the user that the train in
question left South Station 15 minutes late, at 3:00 pm.
Scenario #3 – Screwed
Commuter Wants to Know
• At 5:00 pm, Reverse Commuter wants to know if his inbound 5:45 pm train out of Natick seems to be on time.
What MCBR Knows
• The 5:45 pm at Natick originates in Worcester.
• At 5:00, query shows that train has not yet arrived at Worcester.• Further, it left South
Station over an hour late, at 4:00 pm instead of 2:45 pm.
The Reverse Commuter sometimes takes the next train, at 6:25 pm. Is it possible this train could come earlier than what was supposed to be the
5:45 pm train?
Scenario #3 – Screwed
Commuter Wants to Know
• At 5:00 pm, Reverse Commuter wants to know if his inbound 5:45 pm train out of Natick seems to be on time.
What MCBR Knows
• The 5:45 pm at Natick originates in Worcester.
• At 5:00, query for the 6:25 pm route says the train slated for that actually left South Station at 4:25, but has not gotten to Framingham yet.
• It will turn around in Framingham and come back to Natick
The Reverse Commuter might actually be able to pick up the 6:25
pm train faster than the delayed 5:45 pm train, since that train is only out of Framingham. dRAILd
adds this functionality.
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