New kind of mobile application for travellers

[djap]

I was just looking at some new mobile devices and got this idea of new kind of application that migth come handy when going to some city for the first time (I haven't done wery much background check on this so there may be something wery simular to this allready on the market. If you know some I would be wery interested to check it out).

Anyway here is the idea:
When one is travelling around with low-budget the public transport is wery cheap way to get around. The problem is that in some unfamiliar environment it migth be litle difficult to find the rigth lanes especially if you don't know much of the local language and the locals don't speak English for example.

My idea of this application is that it would combine wireless internet connection and GPS and find the way for you so that it would use the GPS to determine where you are at the moment and use the internet connection to connect to a database that would hold the local public transports lanes and stops and use that to create instructions for the traveller to get where he/she wants to go (or close to the place). In case of bad connection it would be also possible to download some databases to the device before travelling so having no internet connection wouldn't be a problem.

Then it would show a map to the first bus/subway/train station/stop and create a list telling things like which bus number to take, how many stops you need to stay on before getting off or changing to another lane etc. and even show the progress on the map when GPS is available.

The biggest problem that I can think of would be creating a wide and up to date database of public transport lanes and schedules.

I hope I described this clearly enough. Any comments?

Actually the basic idea on how this should work came from a web service of the local busses in one city. You needed to input the source and destination adresses and it showed the busses (and their lanes on the map) you can use to get there. The only difference on this would be that you realy wouldn't need to know where you are, just where you want to get and this would hold more than just one city and not hold only local busses but also subways and trains.

[Tarthen]

Sounds like a tricked out combination of the iPhone's Google Maps, the Australian toilet-finding website and my nanna's directions into town :P.

May be quite useful.