jeffkaufman / mbtaplot Goto Github PK

mbta bus plotter using google app engine

Home Page: http://sccs.swarthmore.edu/~cbr/news/mbtaplot.html

C 6.74% Shell 0.08% JavaScript 0.30% Python 92.88%

mbtaplot's Introduction

MBTA Bus Plotter
----------------

Plots bus routes and locations, runs on google app engine

Live at http://mbtaplot.appspot.com/

Uses:

  http://mbtaplot.appspot.com/
    - show a default set of routes

  http://mbtaplot.appspot.com/?routes=77,78,72
    - show specific routes

  http://mbtaplot.appspot.com/?routes=all
    - show all routes
     - very slow, may crash your browser

  http://mbtaplot.appspot.com/?routes=77,78,72&shading=true
    - shade and size routes by the number of buses currently on them
    - ideally we'd merge sections over the same area so we could size
      them properly, but we don't
      - the shared portions of routes will be underemphasized

  http://mbtaplot.appspot.com/?routes=77,78,72&buses=true
    - show buses   

  click on a route to show the buses on it

  click on it again (at least 45sec later) to update bus locations


Design:
  - mbtaplot.py makes xml requests to the nextbus web service and
    caches the results.  It serves index.html in response to most
    requests and json answers to requests for Paths or Buses.

  - index.html runs javascript with jquery to load the map, add the
    buses as markers, and add the paths as polylines.  It gets it's
    data by requesting json from Paths or Buses like this:

       http://mbtaplot.appspot.com/Paths?route=77
       http://mbtaplot.appspot.com/Buses?route=77

mbtaplot's People

Contributors

Stargazers

Watchers

Forkers

danner

mbtaplot's Issues

subways not visible at the start of their routes

Because subway prediction information is not available from the mbta for trains that have not yet left their terminals, stops like davis square near the end of a line never or almost never show predictions for inbound trains. This makes it hard to know when to leave your house.

Use a different shape to show the bus heading

Please use a shape other than an equilateral triangle to show which direction a bus is moving. It's really hard to figure out the direction, especially if the bus is on a curve or intersection.

It would also be helpful if it identified if buses are heading inbound or outbound, maybe by using different colors, labeling the icons, or adding a mouse-hover tooltip.

subway locations are all screwy between 12n and 1pm

subways don't display in the right places during the noon hour

display relevant t-alerts

t alerts for service disruptions might be good to indicate somehow

the stop times window should have route links

When you click on a stop a window pops up with a table like:

10min 77 Arlington Heights via Mass. Ave.
15min 77 Harvard Station via Mass. Ave.
23min 77 Harvard Station via Mass. Ave.
26min 350 Burlington via Mall
...

These routes should be links that draw that route on the map if it's not currently there.

make a "loading" gif

When it's loading on a slow internet connection its not obvious that its waiting for the server instead of just crashed. This is especially apparent when you tell it to add a new route. Some kind of spinny loady gif would help.

use smaller icons for vehicles

trains and buses could use smaller icons; would be clearer

Clicking on a bus should show upcoming arrival times

When you click on a bus, it doesn't do anything. Instead, it should indicate somehow when it will arrive at future stops.

speed up refresh code, use only one loop

right now there are separate "redraw everything" loops going, one for each route. It would be better if these were combined

zoom, pan options not bookmarkable

There should be page params "ll=lat,lon" and "zoom=zoomlevel" so people can bookmark a page at a specific location and zoomlevel. There should also be a javascript generated link for page bookmarking, updated each time you zoom, recenter, or change what routes are visible.

store state in url hashtag

bookmarking would be easier if the hashtag would store the current state

ashmont inbound trains on the wrong route

Trains inbound from ashmont have direction set to '0', which usually means that something is a braintree train. So I was "snapping" them to the braintree route. I've temporarily turned off "snap to path" for subway routes (which don't need it generally) but it would be better to twiddle the direction field for trains coming from ashmont. Right now if you click on an ashmont-originating train it will highlight the braintree branch instead.

faster markers with v3.4

Google's new gmaps v3.4 release should display markers much faster. Start using it.

merge bus and subways stops for route predictions

Right now the bus and subway stops for places like porter square are right on top of each other, which means you only end up clicking on the top one of the two. These should be merged so that you get predictions for both buses and subways when you click on one, or they should be artificially separated so you can choose which one you want to click on.