bkdelong

Well, I emailed Dennis Crowley from dodgeball.google my idea for using mobile phones for social applications while stuck on various forms of mass transit. No response, but I'm sure he's a busy bee.

I've been thinking further about it, even expanding it pretty largely. I see a few applications:

1. Live Transit Data - since I've been riding the MBTA Commuter Rail on a regular basis, I've noticed the train is predictibly late; especially the 7:29am Newburyport/Rockport line into North Station. So why not create a service that allows various commuters to text/SMS/IM/email in, (or use a mobile web-based inteface), when they arrive at a station and when they leave a station?

   Several things could be done with that data. Update a Google Map live with a train's location. At the "estimated" live location point, have a small icon with the train's number, (in the case of the Inbound 7:29am train from Salem, 108) and show a train with timed waypoints.

   I gave it a shot with my horrible, second-hand, beaten-up Verizon Wireless LG phone and sent myself emails everytime we arrived at a stop. My thumb was sore from lack of experience and it would have helped more if I was able to send something both when we arrived & left but it was a small experiment proving that this is a feasible idea.

   Keep a history of all these times for referring back to and even mark them up with XML so one can reference a particular date, time, and period between stations. Also, include a means of reporting accidents such as the one in Franklin this week or other such delays with various categories. Users could also leave messages forum-style on a particular trip in commenting on the train's lateness, demeanor of the conductors, report incidents and request witnesses, post a lost or found....etc

   In addition to the "contribute" side, also allow users to sign up their phone or an email address at which to be notified for a particular train, line etc. Create a series of quick SMS codes allowing ad hoc queries as well as a profile on the Web site at which to set defaults.

   This solves a myriad of issues including "where the hell is the train" instead of waiting 15-20 minutes after an incident for it to show up on the MBTA marquee. It also could be used similar to plane tracking to allow spouses, significant others, and friends to know when to ACTUALLY leave for the station to pick you up.

   <sarcasm>And oooh - look! There's Google Transit on which data can be displayed and integrated!</sarcasm%gt;

2. Social Networking - My train ride really isn't that long but it would be nice to be able to know who of my neighbors and friends along the entire Newburyport / Rockport line is taking the same train I am. Allow contributors and participants to state what train they are on, which car they are in and approx. which seat. Information can be set to "friends only" or based on some other trust relationship to allow for privacy.

   Determining train car numbers for such a short period of time may be difficult but I'd venture to guess that they don't change them at all during the day and if one can determine the pattern of which engine/car setup ends up with which train (i.e. my 7:29am 108 train). This would be helpful when arriving at North Station, (South Station etc). I see the 5:55pm/069 train on the board with no track number. However if I know the engine/car numbers for the day, I can simply look at the last car. This could be risky as sometimes the train master may arbitrarily choose trains based on their availability. I think the avid users of Railroad.netcould make a big contribution here.

   This degree of awareness could allow for localized IMing, ad hoc peer-to-peer laptop-based wireless networks and all sorts of experiments in mobile computing. I already see tons of people on their Blackberries, laptops and other devices working away. Why not enhance their value when commuting?

   I forsee a function of my Tivo being a "trusted friend" on my Commutning network so it will always know what train I am on and popup a window allowing any viewers to know when my train reaches the stop before Salem....or something.

As always, I fully admit my ideas are to the extreme of technology implementation and usage but while I strive to be an innovative fururist I am always seeking ways to maximize what little time I have. The more educated with contextualized data I am, the more in control I feel - much more conducive to getting things done.

Please - all comments welcome.