New Media in Transportation

New Media in Transportation
There are a number of uses for new media with transportation. A large amount of new media sources allow riders to track their transportation so they can more effectively plan their time and resources. In New York City, there a number of applications available that make it easier to use different transportation mediums.

New Media Helping Drivers
The GPS systems has been a very good tool for people all over the US because even though they might now the roads and where they are heading this tool will actually take you to places without getting lost or even having to ask for directions to strangers. Now it incorporates real time traffic updates to make it easier for drivers to avoid traffic and get to their destination as quickly as possible, it also gives the drivers the option of taking shortcuts, routs with tolls or with no tolls, and things that will make the drivers ride much easier.

A little bit about the GPS
The GPS System was created and realized by the American Department of Defense (DOD) and was originally based on and run with 24 satellites (21 satellites being required and 3 satellites as replacement). Nowadays, about 30 active satellites orbit the earth in a distance of 20200 km. GPS satellites transmit signals which enable the exact location of a GPS receiver, if it is positioned on the surface of the earth, in the earth atmosphere or in a low orbit. GPS is being used in aviation, nautical navigation and for the orientation ashore. Further it is used in land surveying and other applications where the determination of the exact position is required. The GPS signal can be used without a fee by any person in posession of a GPS receiver. The only prerequisite is an unobstructed view of the satellites (or rather of the sky). The correct name of the system is NAVSTAR (Navigation System for Timing and Ranging), but commonly it is referred to as GPS (Global Positioning System).

Waze
Waze is an app that not only gives drivers turn by turn directions, but uses data from other users to predict traffic patterns and potentially divert drivers to an alternate route. Waze is an example of new media that makes it easier for users to get information from each other, not only limited to traffic, but also to find nearby friends, edit maps based on local changes, and even find gas prices so you can go to the cheapest station. By bringing a social aspect to the GPS system, there is no need to monitor traffic, as users are able to form a community to help each other. Similar to letting your friend know that there is traffic on a certain route, users of services like these can now use them to alert more drivers and not congesting the common routes drivers take. Recently, Waze has been acquired by Google. Google has begun implementing the Waze technology into its popular Google Maps app.

New Media Helping Train and Bus Riders
Nowadays it is not necessary to unfold a big subway map to know where you are getting off, or how long your bus or train might take to get to were you are, and how long that trip will last. There are all types of apps available for people to download on their phones so that they can have easy access to the information they need when they are taking the train or the bus. This facilitates the lives of people by actually letting them know they time they will have to get ready before taking the transportation. Which leads to a good management of time. This apps will let you know if there is any arrangements being done in the railroads, if there are delays with the trains, give you alternatives to which other trains can get you to where you want to go if there is something wrong with the train that would be more suitable for you. For the bus riders there is also par of the app that will help them choose what bus to take and the times where the bus is supposed to pass by the bus stop where the customer will be located. Usually the times that will appear on the app will most of the times be estimate on the time the bus takes to get to certain bus stop when there is not so much traffic, but we all know the traffic of NYC is crazy and most of the times the buses will be delayed a little bit. But this is something that only happens when the traffic is at its worst.

HopStop
HopStop is an online mobile app that allows users to get door-to-door directions from their location to their destination via public transportation, walking, biking, or driving. It has directions for over 300 cities worldwide. The app features directions to nearby subway stations and bus stations, trip routes with multiple destination options, estimate travel time, cost of taxi ride, alerts about accidents and delays in real-time, and wheelchair and stroller friendly routes. This app is useful for tourists going to cities, which they are unfamiliar with. They can easily open this app and find out how to get to their destination in minimal amount of time. Since this app features so many different routes, it makes it easier to choose which source of transportation will be the most efficient one.