A new and improved version of the JoeyTracker service, beset by recurring technical difficulties since its inception in 2008, is expected to make its debut in the coming weeks.
New GPS devices are being installed in two separate Joseph's Transportation shuttles that travel between Tufts' Medford/Somerville campus and Davis Square as part of the service commonly known as "the Joey." New screens will display those shuttles' estimated arrival times to students waiting both inside and outside of the Mayer Campus Center.
The JoeyTracker could return as soon as this weekend, TuftsLife Chief Operating Officer Michael Vastola, who is spearheading the project, said.
"The GPS data goes from the buses to the server of our vendor [GPS company]," Vastola, a senior who is also the technical manager for the Daily, said. "The TuftsLife servers read that data, process that and track the Joey route. It will update every minute, so it will be accurate."
The Tufts Community Union Senate launched the JoeyTracker GPS project in January 2008, seeking to improve the safety and convenience of the campus shuttle service.
The Senate authorized funds to purchase the new GPS units last semester, Vastola said; the Department of Public and Environmental Safety has paid a monthly fee to keep the devices running, according to Administrative Service Coordinator for the Department of Public Safety Louis Galvez III.
TuftsLife took over the project from the Senate last year, Vastola said.
The Senate's original JoeyTracker featured GPS devices installed in two buses. The service was often plagued by malfunctions.
Visitors to joey.tufts.edu, the old JoeyTracker webpage, had often encountered errors with the GPS data loading. It has stood idle throughout the revamping process.
"There were issues last year, mostly because the GPS units were shaky," Vastola said. "Now we're happy that we have better, more reliable units."
The designated webpage now redirects to a page hosted by TuftsLife; the URL will continue to send visitors to the JoeyTracker service once the redesign is complete.
Vastola added that Joseph's Transportation's changing daily assignment of buses to the Joey route would result in GPS units not being used.
This year, JoeyTracker boasts three, not just two, GPS units to improve the service's reliability, according to Vastola.
"Two are permanently installed in the Joeys, and a third will be a portable GPS to be put in a Joey being used over the weekend," Vastola said.
One of the permanent GPS units is installed on the regular, weekday Joey, while the other is designated for the backup bus used from Thursday to Sunday, Vastola said.
TuftsLife is working with the Office for Campus Life (OCL) to install screens on campus and possibly in Davis Square that display the Joey's estimated time of arrival in real time.
TuftsLife procured two screens, one of which is installed in the window of OCL Director Joe Golia's campus center office, which is visible to people standing at the shuttle stop in front of the building.
"This will be a really nice service, and it's fairly inexpensive," Golia said. "This way students can see the screen and know whether they just missed [the Joey] or not."
The Senate gave TuftsLife funds for two screens, Vastola said. Because the OCL paid for the screen in Golia's office, TuftsLife plans to use the remaining funds on a third screen in a location yet to be determined.
"Davis is our priority," Vastola said. "One of our members at TuftsLife is attempting to contact Boston Burger Company, but we're not sure if that will work out. If Davis doesn't work, we'll investigate putting it uphill in Olin, Wren or Carmichael."
Vastola said that once completed, the JoeyTracker will prove to be a handy service. Galvez agreed.
"I think this is really just so convenient to have this all at your fingertips," Galvez said. "The ability to look at an iPhone, BlackBerry, Android — it's a million times better than any schedule we can put up. From a customer service standpoint, we love the idea that it's not based on a theoretical schedule, but based on real−time events."
