Translink CEO on day 2 of new train timetables 612 Breakfast

[dwb]

The CEO mentions HASTES or something like that as the Journey Planner that Translink use and that they will be implementing the mapping module later in 2011 in preference to google.transit.

Do they really believe a closed solution is better than one run by one of the world's greatest current corporate innovators that does actually recognise it can make a buck by hosting (freely) other people's data and offering functionality openly for them to build upon?

Just because they have HASTES or whatever does that really mean we can't have an open Google.transit formatted feed as well?!

PS is it really HASTES? that's what it sounded like but I searched and couldn't find anything on google. Maybe its a conspiracy against their competitor?

http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2011/06/translink-ceo-on-day-two-of-new-trainbus-timetables.html?site=brisbane&program=612_breakfast

[somebody]

HASTUS

[dwb]

Thanks Simon.

[Otto]

HASTUS is a word I hate hearing...

[dwb]

HASTUS is a word I hate hearing...

If it's that bad (I'm questioning that it is) why do they use it?

And by they I'm not sure if I'm saying BT or TL... or other TL operators?

[SurfRail]

Google Transit is fine - but rather pointless for the work HASTUS can do, because it does the shift rostering and fleet allocation etc as well.  You can't just use Google for that.

There's nothing wrong with HASTUS - you just have to be selective with some of the sillier things it puts out.  All timetabling and rostering software creates aberrations.

[dwb]

Google Transit is fine - but rather pointless for the work HASTUS can do, because it does the shift rostering and fleet allocation etc as well.  You can't just use Google for that.

There's nothing wrong with HASTUS - you just have to be selective with some of the sillier things it puts out.  All timetabling and rostering software creates aberrations.

I'm not suggesting that they use Google transit for scheduling/planning, but they should be using it for customers. Google maps IS, without doubt THE MOST used and understood mapping solution ever created by man, sorry Bing, you just haven't done it yet. Still I would presume HASTUS should be able to export in a google transit friendly format... does anyone know if it can? And if it can they why don't they put that info out in the wild for all those developers to use and build upon with their own apps. And we all know google is going to keep investing a whole lot of their own money in continuing to make google transit cutting edge, so why should Translink lock us into a proprietry closed really built for something else solution that will only ever get invested in as much as they can sell it? It is a serious question and implies to me they just don't understand it!

[SurfRail]

It is a serious question and implies to me they just don't understand it!

Can be said for most things in Queensland I think!

[dwb]

It is a serious question and implies to me they just don't understand it!

Can be said for most things in Queensland I think!

Perhaps. i must admit I did laugh when i read that and tend to agree... but then again, Govt generally just doesn't seem to like Google, so no matter their product is better, govt want to go and pay three times as much for a much less flexible solution, simply bc the IT guys in govt and the pollies at the top don't believe in/didn't grow up in/ can't recognise the value in Google (if you like they're still stuck in a Microsoft mindset)!

[O_128]

It is a serious question and implies to me they just don't understand it!

Can be said for most things in Queensland I think!

Perhaps. i must admit I did laugh when i read that and tend to agree... but then again, Govt generally just doesn't seem to like Google, so no matter their product is better, govt want to go and pay three times as much for a much less flexible solution, simply bc the IT guys in govt and the pollies at the top don't believe in/didn't grow up in/ can't recognise the value in Google (if you like they're still stuck in a Microsoft mindset)!

In other words there are a lot of jobless IT graduates who could do the job faster, cheaper and better with lower salaries so watch out.

[ozbob]

Interesting ..

Twitter

danielbowen
Google introduces real-time public transport info for 6 cities http://j.mp/mb52jN (Melb doesn't even have timetable info yet)
1 hour ago

[dwb]

Interesting ..

Twitter

danielbowen
Google introduces real-time public transport info for 6 cities http://j.mp/mb52jN (Melb doesn't even have timetable info yet)
1 hour ago

Yes Bob, this service is likely to be fantastically accurate given that Google know how fast the traffic is moving on each and every street thanks to a large crowd sourced bucket of movement data from all those iPhones/ Android phones with location services enabled reporting back to Google!!

This is what I mean, we have a global leader who is clearly interested in providing a top class service and investing heaps of money and TL goes and chooses something that I can guarantee is going to be substandard.

Interestingly I was sure last time I used the NSW journey planner for Sydney it had horrible horrible maps. Now it loads an interface built on google maps provided by PSMA and Pitney Bowes Business Insight. Surprisingly it took awhile for the map to load. Their mobile site seems pretty half arsed although the full site doesn't work so badly on my iPhone.