We’ve written about all the exciting transit app announcements here in Boston since the MBTA and MassDOT opened real-time transit APIs to private developers (iPhone apps, web apps and even an iPad app). Earlier this year we also put Google Goggle’s augmented reality technology to the test here throughtout #1 digital city in America. And today, we’re excited to spotlight an iPhone app that brings the two together.
Ever needed to find the nearest T station but been disoriented about where you are in the financial district or about which side of Fenway you exited on? Want to make certain you choose the right station to walk to and won’t be waiting 20 minutes for the next train? If you have an iPhone, there is now an app for that. Adam Eisenman has developed NextTrain T Tracker, which uses augmented reality to literally point you in the right direction.
Augmented reality (AR) allows you to place an augmented, computer-generated layer (graphics, sounds, etc.) on top of the real-world. On NextTrain T Tracker, this means all you have to do is open the app, hold the camera upright, and turn to see where MBTA train stations are located around you. Yep – that means you never have to ask “where’s the nearest T stop?”
The app displays a compass at the top right of the screen which orients you to the direction of a handful of the nearest stations around you. And as you turn and point your phone’s camera in the direction of one of the stops, the app augments rectangular bubbles on the screen. Each bubble shows the name of the station, color of the lines at that station, and the exact walking distance from you.
To help you know which one of those stations you should walk to, clicking on a station bubble then brings up a page displaying the number of minutes until the next train will arrive. You can also find a full MBTA map and a place to store your favorite stations for quick access to the real-time train arrival data on the Next Train T Tracker app.
The developer of NextTrain T Tracker, Adam Eisenman, created a similar app for Washington DC before Boston as well as a handful of others, including the MBTA Tracker for the bus system. While Adam does not currently live in Boston, he received his Masters at MIT in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He told BostInno he has been waiting for the MBTA to release the data so he could deliver the app. (Thanks again MBTA and Mass DOT!)
What’s your favorite MBTA app so far? What other features do you want to see?
