Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
1.5.3.
Traveler information and ergonomics
Ergonomics is a scientific domain used as an approach to public transport; see
for example [LEC 00], [PAT 99]. In the PASS ITS project, an analysis of customer
needs was carried out in the public transport network of the agglomeration of
Orleans, France. The objective was to identify information that could collectively
and individually help users to reach their destination and attenuate any possible
disturbances. The sample was refined via hypotheses regarding criteria that could
have an impact on the management of the journey, such as network knowledge, IT
knowledge and whether the user is of working age or retired, for instance. The
profiles of the travelers were thus defined so as to enable the collection of
information that could be generalized ([MOU 05], [MOU 07a], [MOU 07b] and
refer to Chapter 2 for more on this subject).
As for the population, criteria for the construction of journeys were studied to
cover the variability of potential situations regarding modes of travel, places
corresponding to the stages of the journey (home, station, transit, public place) and
lines (frequency of weak, variable or strong services, types of stations, period
(different times, week days, weekend, holidays)). These elements were combined in
journey scenarios enabling fictitious disruptions to be managed and to cover the
representativity of contexts. For example, the user takes his car as far as a park-and-
ride car park, goes to the tram stop, travels by tram, receives a warning message
concerning his route, changes to take a bus, travels by bus, gets off the bus and
finishes the journey to his destination on foot. Out of the 40 tests carried out, two-
thirds of the scenario simulations were done in the lab and a third on site. The
information was broadcast by telephone, PDA, laptops, PCs in the lab or on an
illustrated board in the case of the proposition of prospective services. Marks enable
the usefulness of the service offered to be determined (Does the principle of the
service seem interesting to you?) and the usability of the service offered (Does the
service seem practical to you in its current state?). It was therefore possible to
collect a great deal of information via this very precise analysis of traveler
information needs, in a public transport network. It will enable us to refine the kind
and form of information to be delivered [MOU 07a].
1.5.4.
Traveler information and intelligent agents
One of the major difficulties encountered is in elaborating information based on
elements contained in different and heterogeneous information systems. This is why
it seemed interesting to work on the notion of intelligent agents. These software
agents, some of which are adaptive and cooperative, are well adapted tools for
browsing and collecting information in a heterogeneous universe. We have used this
technology in the context of two PhD theses [ANL 06], [PET 03], following a
