[iRail] My 2 cents ideas to improve the API

Fri Aug 6 13:13:39 UTC 2010

Hello all,

Just received an answer from the german guy. I told him about our API 
and mailing list:
Contact: flo <orangeman at teleportr.org>

@Yeri, Pieter: Can you please add my name/email adress to the project 
and on the webpage (as collaborator), so people people using my 
application will know that they are on the correct project in which I'm 
involved?
Thank a lot.

@Yeri, the "chat" application work by train ID. I filter the feed for 
each different train. That allow users to chat with all their co-travellers.
They can choose their train and see what people in this train are 
talking about.

That's why I plan tu use the GPS position of the train! With your 
iPhone/android Phone/windows Mobile phone, you always get an embedded GPS
I plan to add a feature to detect in which train you are, display 
automatically  the timetable and the filtered chat system. That's really 
exciting.

Do you imagine the power of that?

That's why that's not so useless. ( I also use the word useless, but I 
am thinking that this feature can be a killer-one.)

See you!

Christophe Versieux

Yeri Tiete wrote:
> Good morning,
>
> o About Google Analytics. I run it too for iRail. Can add your gmail 
> account if you like. Feel free to add me, tuinslak at gmail.com 
> <mailto:tuinslak at gmail.com>.
>
> o I'll get the Android SDK and check our your app next week as well.
>
> o About the GPS locs, useless, but fun. Here's an Excel sheet with the 
> GPS locs of all Belgian train stations, if interested; 
> http://github.com/Tuinslak/iRail/blob/master/docs/stations/PTCAR-GPS.xls
>
> o Guess we'll have to come up with priority lists and focus on certain 
> parts first. All of these features should be implementable, especially 
> through an API. I'd say not all these features are useful for the 
> web/mobile version of iRail (like GPS position of trains etc), but if 
> we're 'bundling' everything and provide an API for it through iRail 
> (in case someone wants to do something cool with it), then sure, let's 
> do it. And document all our APIs correctly (unlike the SNCB).
>
> o We still need more help, especially from developers. Don't forget to 
> spread the message. Hope to find more people interested in helping 
> through Kodel as well. Let's make it a project "by the citizens, for 
> the citizens" ;)
> And as Pieter said, if we want to make it "big", then yes, find 
> devvers all around the Benelux (and further).
>
> o Your chat application, does it work per train/region, or just show 
> up all chats from anyone using it? (Twitter like?).
>
> Anyway, I'm off till Monday. I have my iPhone and 3G access and might 
> take my Macbook pro, not sure yet.
>
> Mail or call me if needed (0032 474 61 01 39).
>
> Good weekend,
> Yeri
>
>
> On 06 Aug 2010, at 11:47, Christophe Versieux wrote:
>
>> Hello all,
>>
>> As you have understood, our idea is to create something huge and 
>> international. I think we are on a really good way to achieve this 
>> goal. Still a lot of work to provide, but the basis are there.
>>
>> Pieter and Yeri made a great work by creating a functionnal API used 
>> by 120 people everyday.
>> The Android community is growing fast using my application: 
>> http://img.skitch.com/20100806-rfhubxndba5b4x5j2st529wkyd.jpg : on 
>> this graph, you can see the number of search hitting 100 per day 
>> since a few weeks. This is the Google analytics of my application.
>>
>> I can give access to anybody who want to have a look.
>>
>> I have also a lot of ideas concerning improvement that we can make ( 
>> I also give the way to get all these informations for belgian website )
>> and add to the API
>>
>> Pieter, Yeri, I also suggest an "how to?" and can tell you that's 
>> really easy to achieve this.
>> If any question, please ask, all these features are working pretty 
>> well within my application and adding this to the API should be 
>> really easy compared to what has already been done.
>> I will give you the Java code if needed.
>> *
>> 1) All stops and delay of one particular train:
>>
>> *Picture: http://img.skitch.com/20100806-nu7ey7i1m2axw61qcu9xx6spfs.jpg
>>
>> How to?: 
>> "http://www.railtime.be/mobile/SearchTrain.aspx?l="+lan+"&s=1&tid="+tID+"&da=D&p=2";
>> tID is the identification of the train: IC2008 -> use 2008
>>
>> Informations:
>>
>>     * Grey symbol at the left: Where is the train in real time,
>>       canceled stops, extra stops
>>     * Station Name
>>     * Delay
>>
>>
>> *2) Next departures in a particular station:*
>>
>> Picture: http://img.skitch.com/20100806-85cgpqbrp8ni2jiqxfun37qaf.jpg
>>
>> How to?: 
>> "http://www.railtime.be/mobile/SearchStation.aspx?l="+lan+"&s=1&sid="+int_gare_id+"&tr="+int_heure+":"+int_minute+"-60"+"&da=D&p=2";
>> The Gare_id is provided in a list that I can give to anybody.
>>
>> Informations:
>>
>>     * in Blue: the gate where the train will arrive
>>     * Name of the destination of each train
>>     * ID of each train
>>     * Delay
>>
>> *3) GPS Coordinate of one train:*
>>
>> Very funny but quite useless... :-p
>> As we say in french: "Inutile donc indispensable"
>>
>> Picture: http://img.skitch.com/20100806-erydjc45rr92jmrpikdic2mukc.jpg
>>
>> How to?: 
>> "http://www.railtime.be/website/trainpositions.aspx?l=FR&smc=1&dep=True&tn="+tID
>>
>> Informations:
>>
>>     * Latitude
>>     * Longitude
>>
>>
>> *4) GPS Coordinate of a station:*
>>
>> I use this to create a GPS guidance within my application using the 
>> free GPS software from Google!
>> That's a nice feature:
>>
>> How to?: 
>> http://www.railtime.be/website/trainpositions.aspx?l=FR&smc=1&stat="+int_gare_id+"&dep=True"
>>
>> Informations:
>>
>>     * Latitude
>>     * Longitude
>>
>>
>>
>> *5) The price of a ticket:
>>
>> *Not implemented yet in my application
>>
>> You should do something with this adress: 
>> http://sefora.b-rail.be/sefora/Sefora/berekenen.do?action=accessTicket&langue=2
>>
>>
>>
>> I know that's not a good time for a student, take your time, but I 
>> hope that these informations will be usefull for everybody!
>>
>>
>>
>> Kind regards
>>
>> Christophe
>> _______________________________________________
>> iRail mailing list
>> iRail at list.irail.be <mailto:iRail at list.irail.be>
>> http://lists.rootspirit.com/mailman/listinfo/irail
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> iRail mailing list
> iRail at list.irail.be
> http://lists.rootspirit.com/mailman/listinfo/irail
>    

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.okfn.org/pipermail/irail/attachments/20100806/52a2c8cd/attachment-0003.html>