SMS and WAP Services for Schedule and City Information

Mobility is increasingly gaining significance in the field of communication. In the future, it will be more and more important to have location-independent access to current information. The technological developments of the past years have provided the necessary prerequisites: today, mobile telecommunication is comprehensively available and affordable for  everyone.

In addition to the telecommunications infrastructure, modified software solutions are needed in order to adapt the contents available for PCs to the special conditions of mobile devices. The Fraunhofer IVI in Dresden has developed solutions that fulfil these demands.

The institute developed a system for the distribution of information to mobile phones using SMS and WAP services. The design aim was to make it applicable in a wide range of use cases, and the result is a modularly structured software with the following key features:

• Personalization of the services through user profiles that can be configured via the Internet on any given PC
• Flexible request formats through word sequence detection in combination with syntax models that facilitate the request input for users (e. g., SMS)
• Tolerance of spelling errors in requests and detection of abbreviations
• User support in case of wrong or illegible inputs

The data basis for the information system may be provided by a (static) data bank system and by external data sources. It is possible to establish connections to a multitude of systems by implementing a specific integration module for each individual use case. One typical use case is the provision of dynamic content. The creation and maintenance of user profiles can be done via the Internet and a PC or WAP-capable mobile phone. Users have the option of individually adapting the service to their personal preferences. In order to prevent improper use, the users have to authenticate themselves before their personalized services are activated.

SMS requests reach the information system either via GSM modules installed on-site or via an IP network connection. Outgoing short messages are transferred from the network to a service provider who forwards them to the respective destination network.

The system requirements necessary for WAP-based information services are similar to those of a webserver. No device-specific hardware components are needed.

If required, additional mobile platforms can be supported. For example, there already are solutions for devices that run the Palm^® OS.

The real-time schedule information system of the Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe AG (DVB) is a first practical application of the information system. In this case, the system provides information on connections and an overview of stations. The former component determines the best, most convenient public transport connection between two locations. The latter component has an interface to the computer-aided operations control system (RBL) of the DVB. This way, it is able to predict the departure times at bus stops and tram stations under consideration of the current traffic state. Both services are designed for SMS-capable or WAP-capable devices. Advice on how to use the system and how to create a user profile can be requested from the Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe (VVO, regional public transport provider) and the Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe AG.

You can reach the SMS information system under the following number: +49 0172 8571011