Travel planning gets easier
An online system that combines all different modes of transport and helps people plan their journeys can help streamline travel and support travellers in unprecedented ways. The EU-funded project WISETRIP aimed to design such a system for international travellers. It worked on a centralised mechanism that connects all participating web-based travel engines together in an effective way, keeping the data simple and minimal. To achieve its aims, the project elaborated a core algorithmic interface that dissects trip query components, identifies gateway nodes for each, pinpoints relevant journey planners and responds to travellers. The system works over the internet or through mobile access, creating a tool that filters results, defines preferences regarding transport modes and offers personalised information. It assists users at all trip stages, saving travel responses and time schedules while offering suggestions if required. This trip-intelligent information, which cleverly combines real-time data and personal preferences, was tested by experts from various countries and demonstrated to the public on a related project website, available online. The pilot solution covered countries such as Greece, Finland and the United Kingdom, as well as cities in China and Italy. The system was designed to offer fewer hops within a trip, seek better prices, provide information in different languages and extend frequent traveller information. Overall, the project is expected to enable business travellers to plan their journeys more efficiently and enhance productivity as a result. It will also stimulate tourists to explore new places, which will have a positive effect on economic growth. Once this technology becomes widely available on smartphones, travelling from one place to another on different types of transport stand to become much easier.
