TRANSITA (temp name)
URL: http://transita.net/
License: GPLv3
===
A superior public transit app.

It seems like this is the sort of app that should be built as an open-source project.

(It's also surprising that after 2 years no one's done what seems like pretty obvious
functionality for a transit app, so, no time like the present to get started I guess.)


Target Platforms
===
* public RESTy API for transit data, prediction proxying
* Android version (thanks to Bradley Horowitz, see: http://blog.elatable.com/2009/06/and-winner-is.html )

* Eventually targeting: Pure HTML5, Palm Pre, Phone Gap


Roadmap
===
* Start w/ sfbay since 
  1) I live here and 
  2) 511.org gives full data dumps and 
  3) BART and NextMuni gives full realtime data

v1 should provide for loading of any GTFS data for use w/ transit systems that provide them.

Backend:
* REST API for data
* Proxy for realtime data

Routing:
* Caching or full local DB of stops, routes, tiles
* Collecting data on favorite routes, stops, destinations
* Reverse chronological history of searched (maybe even taken) routes
* Easy reversals or routes, destinations
* Seeing route lines

Route Choosing:
* visually lay out alternative routes
* pull in realtime data
* show more info on arrivals time, transfers

Reminders/Alarms/Affordances:
* Reminders for last return trip if you're out on the town
* Alarms for longer commuter trips (geoloc/time elapsed, absolute time)
* "First time" / "lost" affordances - what are the previous stops, where are you now, etc.
* Good "offline" support (precaching areas, definitely routes)
* dialing commuter help where available

Nearby View:
* See nearby stops, specifically when they're coming.
This is especially useful if you know that multiple routes can take you to the same place... (I can take the 26, 14/49, or BART to get back home)


v2 (the fun stuff)

Integration w/ Glympse would be interesting. 

Along those lines, the next thing that would be of interest to tackle (v2) is NYC - b/c of the Subway/undergroundness of it all and lack of any "real time" data, the NYC version would be focused on developing crowdsourcing capabilities - ie, when you head into and out of a Subway station, perhaps the ability to mark in/out times and aggregating and processing that data.  I haven't fully thought through the algorithms, but I bet just by when people are leaving at previous stops you can find out if you're looking at a 5m or 25m wait...

Once this sort of algorithm is perfected, if it'll work in NYC, it'll work (better!) for any city that has aboveground transit (buses) w/ schedules but no exact times...

For some earlier work I've done (this goes back to RFID beaconing and piconet stuff I was playing around w/ back in grad school):

http://wherecamp.pbworks.com/Proximity-and-Relative-Location