TrafficControl: Live Traffic Websites

Two web sites are presenting real-time information of public transportation:

Tågkartan has an impressive map showing the current train status, including delays for trains in Sweden. To do this, Tågkartan is combining data sources such as

• train info and train plan from Trafikverket (The Swedish Transport Administration), 
• user GPS data from the app TågTavlan, 
• a railway database

The other website, Livemap covers large parts of the world, and not only trains but also buses, trams, ferrys, subways and more. That map seems to calculate positions of the vehicles based on time tables and not consider delays. Also, it is interpolating straight lines between the stops. Given the huge amount of vehicles it covers, it would be heavier to follow the busses on more accurate trajectories.

The blog Cornucopia? discussed that app in a blog post covering the poor public transit services in smaller towns close to Göteborg.

Where will my program be in relation to Livemap and Tågkartan? As stated before, the purpose of TrafficControl is for me to learn programming. As a simulation tool, TrafficControl will not consider actual train scenarios.

There are also some other differences from the applications:

• TrafficControl is currently a desktop application. It will maybe be migrated to a web service in the future.
• TrafficControl will simulate the number of passengers on trains and stations.
• TrafficControl will allow the user to create non-existing tracks and stations.
• With TrafficControl, it will be possible to simulate different rules when scheduling trains.

Edit: LiveMap actually considers delays, but it depends on the transport operator. Also, some lines contain more detailed trajectories.