Ekahau Inc., a leading provider of Wi-Fi-based Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) announced that the Ekahau RTLS is being used to streamline and facilitate the movement of thousands of buses through Madrid’s emerging public transport complex, which is governed by Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid (CRTM).
Ekahau has been working with local partner Neomedia, the leading Spanish engineering company specialized in wireless infrastructure, since 2005 to create a solution that can track as many as 2 000 buses through the transport hub’s four underground transport interchangers, which are centers where the subway, buses and trains intersect for passengers to transfer between systems.
An essential element in the system is a Linux-based client Neomedia designed in collaboration with Ekahau to track moving vehicles. “Our DLA device configures itself depending on the average speed of the vehicle,” said Miguel Caballero, business development director at Neomedia. “The accuracy we get with the ‘speed parameter’ is higher than with tags, which are usually used for tracking purposes.”
The mobile tracking solution provides CRTM with the ability to better manage and coordinate buses when they go into the underground interchangers, complementing the global positioning system (GPS) solution they have for outdoor location tracking. With the Wi-Fi based RTLS solution, interchanger operators now have more control over bus scheduling and are able to inform commuters where buses are at any given moment. In fact, they can locate buses in real time with an accuracy of two to three meters. The tracking technology also assists with maintenance, giving the location information to mechanics so they can quickly reach the bus and fix any problems.
“Tracking fast moving objects posed a new challenge for our technology and one which we have conquered together with Neomedia in CRTM’s application,” said Jarmo Ikonen, Ekahau’s sales director. “I believe that the success of this project will pave the way for similar projects in other countries.”
With the two-year pilot scheme now successfully completed, implementation of Ekahau RTLS will expand as new interchangers are built in the CRTM complex. By the time of its completion, the Madrid project will represent one of the most ambitious and innovative public transport developments in Europe.
“The ingredients for this project created a devil’s brew for implementation: thousands of fast moving targets, radio noise, crowds of people and a subterranean campus,” said Jorge Sanchez, Neomedia’s engineering project director. “Having said that, Ekahau RTLS has shown itself to be the only system to handle these parameters and deliver accurate and reliable results.”
