Real-Time Multi-Modal Way-Finding—Displayed in the Public Realm

For the uninitiated, “[TransitScreen] company’s digital signage aggregates real-time information for any mode of public transit in a city--subways, commuter trains, buses, bike share, ride shares--and displays this info in university buildings, the lobbies of apartment buildings and offices, and more,” according to the description of Fast Company Design writer Shaunacy Ferro.

Ferro’s recent article, however, explains TransitScreen’s latest product, SmartWalk. SmartWalk is a customizable, real-time information display that activates the public realm in more ways than one by displaying onto surfaces in the public realm,

The technology works similarly to RideScout, but has the unique benefit of being customizable to a specific location. For an example of how SmartWalk works, Ferro describes a display situated between the University of California, Berkeley campus and the downtown BART station, which will see an estimated three million people walk by a year. “It tells you exactly how many bikes are available at the nearby bike station, how many minutes it will take for a ridesharing service to pick you up, and, at some universities, when the nearest campus shuttle will arrive. The company is attempting to bring Uber and Lyft data into the fold as well.”