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New technology from NEC tells passengers when next airport bus will arrive - GPS-based system gathers data from Citybus airport fleet, calculates travel time to upcoming bus stops -
*** For immediate use 3 January 2013
Hong Kong – January 3, 2013 – Catching the next airport bus is about to get a whole lot simpler for Citybus airport route passengers, thanks to NEC. The IT and network technologies pioneer has developed an intelligent Fleet Management System (FMS) that uses GPS tracking to monitor individual airport buses and predict their arrival times at upcoming bus stops. This covers around 300 bus stops of all Citybus “A” routes and the accuracy of prediction reaches over 90% within +/-1 minute.
The enhanced solution features an NEC Onboard Unit, which uses GPS data and proprietary dead reckoning algorithm to communicate the bus's position to the back-end system. The system then calculates the time required to travel to the next stops along the route based on its sophisticated Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) logic. Using the API built for external interfaces, Citybus has embedded this ETA service of all airport routes into its Website and smartphone mobile app which was launched on 19 December 2012 for passengers to download.
"Though the concept is simple, achieving an accurate result proved to be technically challenging," said Elsa Wong, Managing Director of NEC Hong Kong. "Because of the density and height of buildings in the metro city, not to mention its vehicle tunnels, Hong Kong is a tough environment for GPS applications. Traditional fleet management systems were adequate for basic tasks such as route planning and monitoring, but they were unlikely to offer an acceptable level of accuracy when it came to predicting arrival times at a given location.
"However, NEC’s proven FMS offers a sophisticated set of algorithms for calculating arrival times using real-time data from the bus itself, observations of actual traffic conditions and speed along the route, and historical averages for different sets of variables. These enable Citybus to make accurate ETA predictions even when the bus itself is not visible to GPS, either because it is shadowed by buildings or passing through a tunnel."
"NEC's intelligent FMS has the potential to revolutionise the way people use this mode of transport," said Wong. "It takes the guesswork out of journey planning. Passengers can use their mobile phones not only to find the most convenient route, but to check frequencies and see when the next bus is due. This gives them more flexibility when they are planning journeys. It helps them decide when they need to leave the home or the office."
NEC's proven FMS, which is widely used by hauliers, bus companies, courier firms and other large operators of vehicle fleets,can further provide advanced route optimisation across a wide variety of planning scenarios, helping to minimise costs, improve service, increase productivity and reduce the environmental impact of vehicle fleets. Dynamically linked map, schedule and asset views based on GPS data give fleet controllers information on key indicators such as capacity usage, time to service each stop, customer time window violations, alternate available resources, and route profitability.
Established in 1984, NEC Hong Kong Limited has been rapidly expanding its activities to meet growing customer demands in Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China. Dedicated to information and communication technologies (ICT), NEC is a recognized leader in providing one-stop solutions for biometric, public safety, energy saving, fleet management, cloud computing, telecommunication, network infrastructure and managed services. In addition, NEC provides advanced display & visual products, server & storage, telecommunication and networking solutions. With a comprehensive range of technical experts and resources, NEC offers professional tailored solutions to meet the dynamic needs of customers in various industries. With our extensive products and services, we continuously deliver business value to customers globally. NEC is the one-stop answer for innovative technological excellence. For enquiry, please call (+852) 2733 5533 or visit www.nec.com.hk.
Hong Kong – January 3, 2013 – Catching the next airport bus is about to get a whole lot simpler for Citybus airport route passengers, thanks to NEC. The IT and network technologies pioneer has developed an intelligent Fleet Management System (FMS) that uses GPS tracking to monitor individual airport buses and predict their arrival times at upcoming bus stops. This covers around 300 bus stops of all Citybus “A” routes and the accuracy of prediction reaches over 90% within +/-1 minute.
The enhanced solution features an NEC Onboard Unit, which uses GPS data and proprietary dead reckoning algorithm to communicate the bus's position to the back-end system. The system then calculates the time required to travel to the next stops along the route based on its sophisticated Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) logic. Using the API built for external interfaces, Citybus has embedded this ETA service of all airport routes into its Website and smartphone mobile app which was launched on 19 December 2012 for passengers to download.
"Though the concept is simple, achieving an accurate result proved to be technically challenging," said Elsa Wong, Managing Director of NEC Hong Kong. "Because of the density and height of buildings in the metro city, not to mention its vehicle tunnels, Hong Kong is a tough environment for GPS applications. Traditional fleet management systems were adequate for basic tasks such as route planning and monitoring, but they were unlikely to offer an acceptable level of accuracy when it came to predicting arrival times at a given location.
"However, NEC’s proven FMS offers a sophisticated set of algorithms for calculating arrival times using real-time data from the bus itself, observations of actual traffic conditions and speed along the route, and historical averages for different sets of variables. These enable Citybus to make accurate ETA predictions even when the bus itself is not visible to GPS, either because it is shadowed by buildings or passing through a tunnel."
"NEC's intelligent FMS has the potential to revolutionise the way people use this mode of transport," said Wong. "It takes the guesswork out of journey planning. Passengers can use their mobile phones not only to find the most convenient route, but to check frequencies and see when the next bus is due. This gives them more flexibility when they are planning journeys. It helps them decide when they need to leave the home or the office."
NEC's proven FMS, which is widely used by hauliers, bus companies, courier firms and other large operators of vehicle fleets,can further provide advanced route optimisation across a wide variety of planning scenarios, helping to minimise costs, improve service, increase productivity and reduce the environmental impact of vehicle fleets. Dynamically linked map, schedule and asset views based on GPS data give fleet controllers information on key indicators such as capacity usage, time to service each stop, customer time window violations, alternate available resources, and route profitability.
***
About NEC Hong Kong LimitedEstablished in 1984, NEC Hong Kong Limited has been rapidly expanding its activities to meet growing customer demands in Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China. Dedicated to information and communication technologies (ICT), NEC is a recognized leader in providing one-stop solutions for biometric, public safety, energy saving, fleet management, cloud computing, telecommunication, network infrastructure and managed services. In addition, NEC provides advanced display & visual products, server & storage, telecommunication and networking solutions. With a comprehensive range of technical experts and resources, NEC offers professional tailored solutions to meet the dynamic needs of customers in various industries. With our extensive products and services, we continuously deliver business value to customers globally. NEC is the one-stop answer for innovative technological excellence. For enquiry, please call (+852) 2733 5533 or visit www.nec.com.hk.
