SilverRail, the technology company powering the next-generation rail retailing and distribution platform, has launched SilverRail Labs to highlight its commitment to R&D and to showcase a series of game-changing projects cleverly developed using insight and technology.
In keeping with SilverRail’s mission to provide a better customer experience across all ground transportation types, SilverRail Labs will push the status quo, exploring unchartered territory and looking to the latest technological developments to build new, customer-centric, solutions.
SilverRail Labs has been conceived to give SilverRail employees the space to play with and trial new ideas and applications, whilst providing the industry and consumers a glimpse at how SilverRail is experimenting with technology and data, all with the aim of transforming the future of ground transportation.
The best projects will be showcased on the SilverRail Labs website starting with the following two:
1. ‘A Day in the Life of’ – Transport Data Time Lapse Animation
day-in-the-lifeEvery year SilverRail powers over one billion journey searches for partners around the world, enabling the team to capture a wealth of data on travellers’ journey planning queries. SilverRail has collated this data to create the ‘A Day in the Life of’ animation. The animation illustrates the use of public transport in two key locations (Wellington, New Zealand and across Wales, UK), using graphics to demonstrate the scheduled intensity of use over a 24-hour period. Viewers watch the maps wake up, go to work, and return home, as the rich data brings ground transportation volume, flow and direction to life.
The animation offers a totally new way to represent transport intensity across locations. It can help to deliver data-driven insights to transit and city planners, changing the way they identify bottlenecks, identify current and future trends in traffic flows and present opportunities for improvements (new routes, increased frequency of services, traffic re-direction and so on). All of this will mean better transportation flow, and a better experience for travellers.
2. Commuter Watch App
Unexpected delays and disruption are all too common for public transport users. The Labs team tapped into its heritage of seamless journey planning across transportation modes (trains, buses, subways, bicycles, ferries etc.) to address this, and has created a prototype watch app to help alleviate commuter pain, making the experience as simple and smooth as possible.
The Commuter Watch App works by using real-time data from operators to create push notifications commuter-watch-appfor travellers, ensuring they get the travel information they need instantly; information such as departure times, platform details, delay notifications and journey fixes. This will help smooth out the commuter experience, streamlining timings and making sure the right transport option is selected.
On the launch of SilverRail Labs, Conor O’Mahony, Chief Product Officer at SilverRail said: “The team here is bursting with new, fresh, and innovative ideas. Core to our philosophy at SilverRail is to encourage and nurture such innovation, encouraging lean business principles, which foster discovery and success.
“SilverRail Labs provides an ideal outlet to test these ideas, with the objective to make ground transportation travel as seamless as possible. SilverRail Labs plays an important part in fulfilling this aim by sharing concepts openly and in the hope of driving the industry forward, and spurring further innovation
“We are proud to share our first two projects on our website, both of which we believe have the potential to be game-changers in our quest for seamless mobility.”
