Community Programs By Bus (Working Title)

Community Programs By Bus (working title) is a platform to provide information access on mobile devices for local events and activities by various community organizations. The App is currently being developed through the collaboration of Syracuse University and the Onondaga County Public Library System (OCPLS). Currently, the data is provided solely by OCPLS, which is the event schedule of library programs, but the plan is to extend the data to events and activities of various local community organizations. This integration of data from local community organizations and public libraries is a separate on-going project, lead by Prof. David Lankes at Syracuse University. This App project is being developed as a new concept or a possible extension of the project. The project will encourage community residents to participate in local events such as concerts, art exhibitions, literacy groups, forums and workshops. The project will also promote the adoption of digital information access to a wide range of community residents by bringing the App to various public spaces, including buses, bus stops, and libraries. The App is currently developed as a Web Application, optimized for touch-panel devices (e.g. Apple iPad), with easy-to-use, simple interfaces in order to appeal a wide range of users and accommodate quick interactions during a short bus ride. The intention of the design is to use the touch-panel device as an embedded console on city buses, so that bus users can access to the information, at ease and with pleasure. We hope that the App will not only bring useful information to the users, but also make the bus ride pleasurable, promoting the environmentally sustainable mode of transportation.  The App will be also available as a regular Web application, so that anyone can access it though regular desktop/laptop computers with a web browser. As a community information repository, the App is unique in that it integrates information from a local transportation authority (e.g., the locations of buses and bus stops) and the library system (library program schedules). This enables users to find the transportation to a community event, or to find relevant information to the event with ease. This also enables the App to promote certain events to users based on geographical location (e.g. bus stop) or topics of interests (e.g. books found in library catalogs). The App is designed to take advantage of GPS bus tracking system, which, CENTRO, the local bus authority recently employed. The project is an instance of "Scholarship in Action", Syracuse University's slogan for intertwining learning, scholarship and civic engagement. As the city's population has been moving to the suburb, Syracuse University recognizes itself as a critical anchor in turning our community around. This project is an example of how we see the importance of the public mission of higher education and our commitment to be engaged with local issues that resonate globally, from environmental sustainability to cultural heritage or from community governance to urban education.