Service2Media, Appear and Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), the National Dutch Rail Authority, today announced the launch of Reisplanner Xtra, said to be the first implementation of wireless context-aware services for Dutch train travelers.
"The growing market penetration of smartphones opens up new possibilities for bringing a better service to our travelers" says Corine van Drunen, Innovation Manager, NS. "We believe Reisplanner Xtra will be the mobile channel of the future for Nederlandse Spoorwegen."
Reisplanner Xtra is a mobile travel application, which uses current location information (from GPS or cell ID) to automatically determine the nearest station. It offers customised services based on user context, records favorite journeys, preferred or recently visited stations, displays information regarding the station and local points of interest, and can let users share your travel plans with friends and family. Reisplanner Xtra also monitors possible changes to a planned journey and alerts the user to these changes by SMS.
"A personal travel planner that advises you during the trip is one of the most relevant services on mobile. New context-aware functionalities will be further extended based on the Appear IQ and Service2Media M2Active platform components" says Geert Kolthof, CEO, Service2Media.
"More important than the network itself, be it 3G, Wi-Fi or others, are the value-added services available on the network", adds Xavier Aubry, CEO, Appear. "In the future, what will you do when your train is 15 minute late? Use your mobile device to check the services available in that station, perhaps download the latest news report or your favorite magazine, courtesy of the train operator, while your calendar automatically sends an update to the person you are supposed to meet, based on real-time traffic information. Upon arrival at your destination, your device will automatically request a map of the area to quickly find the location of your next meeting."