Gautrain may expand its online mapping service, by adding expected bus routes and possible points-of-interest.
Barbara Jensen, from the Gautrain communication team, says: “Looking into the future, mapping technology will also be used for the transport system supporting the Gautrain.”
She says the Gautrain will have a dedicated fleet of 125 buses fanning out on major routes from each station. The chain will be able to carry around 100 000 passengers between Johannesburg and Tshwane daily.
As the Gautrain bus service launches, new routes will be added on a regular basis and existing routes will be updated, based on demand.
“We're looking at ways of utilising mapping technology for bus routes. So, for example, the bus routes could possibly be posted on the Web site and would also be made available at stations and other points so that commuters will know exactly where the buses travel to and which route is best suited to them,” she says.
Points of interest will also be used extensively once the Gautrain begins operations to assist people at each station with services that may interest them, Jensen adds.
“For example, tourists coming from the OR Tambo International Airport may want to find their hotel in Sandton, or find the closest place to do their shopping. Location-based services and mapping will help people to orientate themselves and find what they are looking for.”
Mash it up
The company already uses geo-spatial mapping and other location-based services, developed by AfriGIS, which initially helped with the planning of the Gautrain route.
Magnus Rademeyer, AfriGIS MD, says the Gautrain project used mapping in a number of ways. “Firstly, maps were used to plan the route of the train. Then they were utilised to identify exactly which properties and roads would be affected by the line and the various stations.”
Gautrain says its call centre agents used the service to direct callers around any possible obstructions during the building of the stations. AfriGIS also used a Google Earth layer to show the route with satellite mapping.
The maps can be found on the Gautrain Web site. AfriGIS director Marius van der Merwe says maps and location-based services are becoming more popular. “People internationally are using it on a regular basis, and may expect to see similar services in SA come 2010.”
He says the company is working on several projects around SA, aside from Gautrain, including Vodacom's Look4It service which helps people find points-of-interest in a particular area. It also has a hand in the development of the company's social network, The Grid.
While he says SA is making a concerted effort to use location-based services and mapping technologies, he feels there is still a way to go before South Africans get it right. “We still need richer content. People don't just want the maps, they want to be able to see images and read reviews. They want to have most of the content available on the maps.”
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