2.11 Transportation Scenarios

In Europe, interactive TV is popular for performing a variety of online reservation and scheduling tasks . In particular, iTV applications are useful for making reservations and monitoring schedules of trains, buses, and flights .

2.11.1 Airport Flight Monitors

One popular application is the broadcast of flight monitor data providing real-time arrival and departure information, the same information that traditional airport terminals provide (see Figure 2.26). With this application, the viewer selects the service and chooses from a menu of possible displays. The search and resulting display could be organized according to arrival or departure times, airlines, flight numbers , or destinations. The viewer can select the next or previous screen or go back to the menu screen.

Figure 2.26. An Airport Application courtesy of TVC Multimedia [TVC].

2.11.2 Maps and Driving Directions Scenarios

Internet-based maps have become reliable and popular, and numerous Web sites now offer a driving direction service. These services could be migrated to interactive TV. Maps can be broadcast (see Figure 2.27), or may pulled from the Internet using a return channel.

Figure 2.27. An airport parking and taxi application courtesy of TVC Multimedia [TVC].

Maps are commonly used as means of advertisement. Viewers may enter their intentions, and the data service will filter out all irrelevant landmarks leaving a small subset of interest.

Maps may be customized or personalized (e.g., with directions and restaurant locations), by combining broadcast with a return channel. To obtain a customized map the viewer selects a dedicated virtual channel. On selection, an application is launched, presenting a form for entering location information such as address. Optionally, the viewer can enter a second location regarded as the destination location. On submission of the form, the viewer is presented with a response, which is a map customized to the requested location. If a destination location is also specified, the response contains a marked route and the corresponding driving directions.