Advertising in public transportation
The European Location Based Advertising (ELBA) project realised the new mobile value-added service, LBA, using several user scenarios. One of these scenarios involved advertising on integrated displays in a light train in Karlsruhe (Germany). Thereby, a high-resolution screen was used to display special offers and savings of an electronics store located close to the next exit. Hence, passengers interested in the advertisement could visit the store by getting off at the next stop. Light trains in Karlsruhe are equipped with an On Board Computer (OBC) that provide passenger information. Compared to GPS, the OBC is preferable to employ for location detection as it provides more information including direction, speed, stops and other. Data and signals are sent from the OBC via the Integrated Board Information System (IBIS) data-bus to the terminal, forming part of the Infotainment System (IS). The terminal has two screens, one for displaying passenger information, such as next stop, and the other for advertisements. More specifically, parameters, such as the direction of the train, the next station and the distance between the two stations are already known by the OBC. When approaching one station computed position is synchronised to the real position as signals from the wheels are also received and processed. Hence, the IS system can be informed of the exact position of the train and location can be determined with minimum of errors of the order of some metres. Real LBA can be achieved as the IS compares the location of the train to the position of shops included in the database of the IS. Hence, any advertisement relating to local offers can be timely displayed to interested passengers. Apart from advertisements, the technology may also be employed for promoting local events and sponsoring services. For further information click at the project site at: http://www.e-lba.com
