The Connective Corridor iPhone Application launched May 1 as a collaborative project between Syracuse University’s iSchool, VPA, and the Office of Community Engagement and Economic Development.  Developed by Jennifer Hamilton, VPA assistant professor, and Keisuke Inoue, a Ph.D. candidate in the iSchool, the project is a demonstration of integrating technology and design as a component of the transportation initiative of the Connective Corridor.  The goal of the project is embodied in the name of the application:  Use, intended to make Corridor buses easier to utilize.

The working group for the project also included Robbi Farscham, former director of the Connective Corridor, who worked with Hamilton and Inoue to develop the new iPhone application that tracks CENTRO buses that run on the Connective Corridor route, linking residents and students to cultural events along the corridor.  The app also allows users to comment on and rate events and venues in the area, and offers users an opportunity to learn about the cultural and architectural heritage of the city through augmented reality.

The project has been presented at international conferences for recognition and feedback.

Motivation for the project stemmed from Hamilton’s interest in the potential for technology to be an integral part of an interior environment, and the methods through which it could be applied. The iPhone application was designed to respond to an interior renovation of three Connective Corridor bus interiors and serve as a means for extending the benefits beyond the ride itself and into subsequent events in the user’s daily routine.

This project also resonates with the Scholarship in Action, an initiative of Syracuse University that seeks “education that’s not static or for its own sake, but breaks out of the traditional ‘ivory tower.’” The project is innovative in the use of technologies and designs to encourage cross-participation between our student body and local communities, revitalizing the city through pleasurable transportation, artistic and cultural events, and use of the unique mobile application.

Because of the initial need for close monitoring and feedback, the iPhone application will be released with multiple stages, increasing its functionality and complexity of the design. Every version of the application will be authorized and distributed through the Apple Computer’s iTunes / App Store, free of charge. Syracuse University holds the license for application development and will maintain the copyright of the product.

The first version of the application includes the most basic feature – tracking busses that run on the Connective Corridor route though GPS and displaying the current locations of the busses and the estimated arrival times to the next bus stops overlaid on a map. According to focus groups with students, this is one of the most demanded features by the users of the Connective Corridor bus system.

This initial phase includes design of bus icons and other user interface elements e.g. buttons and splash screens, as well as the implementation of the bus tracking mechanism using the application  programming interface (API), provided by the GPS vendor, CleverDevices via CENTRO. Later versions are intended to include more sophisticated features involving social media, e.g. Yelp! or FourSquare, outside resources such as database of local art and cultural events, augmented reality, and recommender systems for local art/cultural events and venues.

Keisuke and Jennifer

Keisuke Inoue wrote the coding for the application.  His academic background includes a MA in Linguistics, MS in Computer Science and BA in Law.  Prior to pursuing the master degrees, he worked in a computer software industry, where he grew his interest in information technologies and information behaviors.  His fields of research and teaching include: information retrieval, information-seeking behavior, natural language processing, computational linguistics, data mining, text classification, social web technologies, while he continues to have interest in programming languages, theories of computation, theoretical linguistics (mainly phonology, syntax and semantics),  laguage acquistion and socio linguistics.

In fall 2010, Keisuke proposed a new course “IST488/688 Social Web Technologies”, where students learn how to design and implement their own social web systems.

In spring 2012, Keisuke founded a company, PsyQic, which provides mobile/web applications where people share predictions on various topics and exchange information resources.  His company will be working in summer 2012 in the Student Sandbox at The Tech Garden – a joint venture between Syracuse University and CenterState CEO.