Real time subway and bus info to colleges

[Benjamin Chan]

How can I bring real time MBTA subway and bus information data to Suffolk University onto their TV screens in the academic buildings? 

[Andrew Ferreira]

There are so many different ways to do what you ask that this is a hard question to answer. An exact implementation for Suffolk U would probably require a modest amount of programming, but I suspect you’re looking for something that already exists. Here are a few possibilities:

- If you can display a web browser on your monitor, there are some sites that show bus and train predictions and schedules. NextBus provides a map that displays routes and the current location of vehicles. Unfortunately, they do not track the subway. Follow this link to see the current condition of bus 43. You can display multiple routes simultaneously; press the menu item in the upper right corner to select routes. The routes you’re most interested in are probably the 43, 55, and SL5.
http://www.nextbus.com/googleMap/?a=mbta&r=43

- One developer here, StefanW, has a web page which displays a map with the realtime location of all subway vehicles. However, I am reluctant to post it here without his permission. StefanW, it is okay to share?

- There are many, many, (many!) mobile apps that display realtime info. You might be able to cast from the device onto your monitor (although you’ll need to dedicate a tablet or phone to do this). Two iOS apps that jump to mind are Citymapper and Transit (and I bet they’re available on Android too).

[Benjamin Chan]

Also what data from the MBTA's developer page do I use for Subway and Buses? There are so many. 

[Benjamin Chan]

Is there a way I can use the Transit app plus its format and implement that onto the TV screens?

On Thursday, September 21, 2017 at 2:44:24 PM UTC-4, Benjamin Chan wrote:

[StefanW]

No worries Andrew! It's a public site, and anyone / everyone can use it and share it.

https://sites.harvard.edu/~wuensch/T/subway-map.html

[Benjamin Chan]

Hey Stefan, 

Is there a way I can bring the tracking of trains and buses onto a digital countdown clock format displayed on TV screens in a public place?

On Wed, Sep 27, 2017 at 10:34 AM, StefanW <ste...@mac.com> wrote:

No worries Andrew! It's a public site, and anyone / everyone can use it and share it.

https://sites.harvard.edu/~wuensch/T/subway-map.html

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[StefanW]

If you're just looking for arrivals for a particular stop, the new mbta.com site has real-time info for each stop perma-linked. For example Park Street: https://mbta.com/stops/place-pktrm?tab=departures

It doesn't appear to auto-refresh the data however, so you'd need to find a browser plugin that will refresh the page.

On Thursday, September 21, 2017 at 2:44:24 PM UTC-4, Benjamin Chan wrote:

[StefanW]

In general any mobile app can be viewed on a computer via QuickTime Player when connected by cable.

https://www.google.com/search?q=view+iphone+screen+on+mac

Unfortunately the iOS Simulator doesn't allow you to load apps from the App Store - only your own if you're a developer. https://developer.apple.com/library/content/documentation/IDEs/Conceptual/iOS_Simulator_Guide/Introduction/Introduction.html

[Benjamin Chan]

But I want it on a TV screen. WIll it still work the same way?

[StefanW]

Probably - but the implementation details of how you generally present something from a computer on a TV are outside the scope of this particular forum. 

I think you'll have to experiment.

Also if this is something official being done for your University, and there's project money to be spent, you should consider engaging one of the professional developers on this forum and perhaps hiring them to develop something customized for your needs. (However, this forum isn't supposed to be a job-board for hiring developers so you should contact people directly.)