Using the Dashboard
The Easy Rides Dashboard is a centrally located panel, embedded directly in the dispatch board, that lists and summarizes a variety of potential issues across the schedule. These include a list of routes running late or predicted to run late on a given day, instances where routes overlap and perform stops in similar areas at similar times, and general scheduling errors. Each type of warning is expandable in the Dashboard so the user can view only the issues they are interested in, and the listed trips are tied directly to the Dispatch Board such then when a trip, route, or warning type is double-clicked the view is filtered to show only those routes in question with the trip(s) already selected so they can be easily located. Furthermore, for instances of some types Dashboard Warnings more severe violations will be highlighted in yellow or red to aid dispatchers and supervisors in focusing on issues that are most urgent. New types of warnings continue to be added to the Dashboard and we often look use input from agencies using the software to help design the most useful and robust schedule analysis possible.
The Dashboard lists late routes and stops in two contexts depending on the current schedule, either current or predicted late routes, both are calculated using behind the scenes GIS data to compare the time scheduled between consecutive stops to the expected drive-time between the locations. For currently late routes the Easy Rides Dashboard using all data available to get the most accurate estimate of the expected arrival time for a route’s next stop, this includes the vehicle’s most recent AVL data if available, route start time, previously completed stop time and location, previous passenger’s load time, and the expected drive-time to the next stop. When the Dashboard identifies a stop that is likely to be missed the expected time that the driver will be late is carried forward in the schedule to see what other stops on the route are likely to be affected. The late stops that are identified are then highlighted either yellow or red when the difference between the expected arrival time and the scheduled or requested time exceeds a configurable threshold.
Route Overlap detection is another Dashboard warning that users find particularly useful, it scans the displayed schedule for any routes that are performing stops within a configurable distance and time from each other. For example, two vehicles each with a stop scheduled in at the same shopping plaza, within 10 minutes of each other, would be listed as an instance of Route Overlap depending on the agency’s configuration values and can be used to improve schedule efficiency. Because Route Overlap inherently occurs between two or more stops this warning comes with an additional highlighting feature, when a stop is selected under Route Overlap all stops overlapping with the selected one will be highlighted in yellow to show that they are related. This is because stops that overlap with each other may not be at the same exact time or address, so it may be less than apparent to a user exactly which stops overlap
Other warnings listed in the Easy Rides Dashboard include stops scheduled outside their On-Time Performance Window or outside the scheduled route start or end time. Currently under development are Dashboard Warnings that will indicate backtracking within a single route, vehicles with insufficient accommodations for scheduled passengers, and routes with significant scheduled dead time.
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