Passengers are entertained and kept informed with real-time digital signage on passenger trains
Customer Overview
Toronto-based United Mobile Broadcasting Corporation (UMBC) was established in 2002 to provide fully integrated mobile broadcasting services on mass public transit systems, including trains, subways and buses. UMBC's Mobile Broadcasting System was designed to deliver multimedia content including news, weather, business and sports content on screens in moving environments using wireless technology to provide commuters with an informative and entertaining digital signage network to one of the fastest growing regions in North America.
Project Scope
Mobile broadcasting is an extension of the wireless revolution and is being developed to provide audio, video and multimedia contents to mobile communication devices and in moving environments. UMBC's mobile broadcasting system is a proven and reliable extension of an existing mobile broadcasting model already operational in Canada. Leveraging their technological and operational know-how, UMBC secured a 15-year contract (10-year initial term, plus a 5-year extension) to install and operate mobile video broadcasting on LCD screens within the Greater Toronto Area's GO Transit commuter rail system. GO Transit is Canada's first, and Ontario's only, interregional public transit system, linking Toronto with the surrounding regions of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). GO carries more than 50 million passengers a year in an extensive network of train and bus services that is one of North America's premier transportation systems. GO Transit operates more than 400 bi-level passenger railcars in the GTA, serving more than 170,000 passengers daily and providing the opportunity for more than a million impressions per week. The majority of passengers are affluent professionals, who use the trains to commute to and from work, with the average passenger riding the train for 35 minutes, twice daily. UMBC would be responsible for managing the entire network of signage on the GO Transit's commuter rail system.
Omnivex Solution
Originally, UMBC planned to manage the On-Train Television (OTTV) network with their in-house software system, but ultimately selected Omnivex software for the deployment. The vision for UMBC's OTTV network required a system that could overcome the unique networking challenges involved when deploying real-time digital signage on moving trains. "We chose to manage the OTTV network using Omnivex software, because of its flexibility when working with new communications technologies (such as wireless EDGE), cost-saving ability while maintaining a network, and the ease of collecting proof of play data," said Jonathan Rhee, VP Operations, UMBC. In addition, the company needed a scalable software platform, allowing it to expand as the network grew.
Each GO Transit car was fitted with eight 15-inch LCD monitors (four per level) to display informative and entertaining digital signage content for the thousands of people who use the system to commute into and out of the Toronto area. Omnivex software had the ability to interface with the GO Trains' EVDO cellular network, allowing UMBC to manage the daily mix of news, advertising and other content broadcast to the extensive onboard digital signage system. EVDO is the wireless transmission of data through radio signals (typically cellular networks). Omnivex software is able to use wireless technology to deliver multimedia content and real-time information to passengers in transit. "We face unique networking challenges when deploying on moving trains. Omnivex was able to address these challenges by interfacing with the EVDO cellular network that the digital signage is managed through," said Jonathan Rhee, VP Operations, UMBC.
The screens feature news, weather, sports and business content, movie previews, videos, and advertising. News and advertising clips are updated during off-peak hours, while the textual information (weather, news headlines, service delays, etc.) are sent continuously in real-time to all of the players on the network. Broadcasting occurs between the hours of 5 am to 12 am and commuters have the option to listen to accompanying audio, which is available via FM radio stations. "When you build a communication system around real-time information that updates automatically, you dramatically increase the effectiveness of your communications, while decreasing operating costs," said Jeff Collard, President of Omnivex.
Using Omnivex software to power this wireless digital signage network, UMBC has built a reliable advertising network for their audience of business professionals. Advertisements fund and compliment the "infotainment" and are tracked using Omnivex software for playback confirmation. Since the dwell time of 35 minutes is longer than a typical advertising network, UMBC had to make certain that the system functioned in real-time to maintain accurate, fresh and appealing content. This helped to maintain the value of advertising space and ensured that it captivated the audience, resulting in a successful deployment.
Results
The project, which is one of the first mobile broadcast installations on commuter trains in North America, provides commuters in this fast-growing region with an informative and entertaining digital signage network. Feedback from commuters has been positive, increasing advertising revenues and proving the success of UMBC's network.
Omnivex's efficient method of sending only the latest changes in the data set to each player made it an ideal solution for UMBC's network, since it reduces bandwidth requirements. Rather than a full complement of data and content being sent to every player continuously, regardless of whether or not there are changes, Omnivex software only sends the individual changes to the trains that needed the information. This maximized the bandwidth usage and reduces costs, making effective use of the EVDO network. "Driving costs out of the network is an important consideration for a network operator. Omnivex has the ability to automate many of the processes associated with deploying and maintaining a large digital signage deployment," said Collard.
UMBC is implementing the system in phases. There are over 400 railcars in GO Transit's GTA transit network, with 1,672 high resolution monitors installed on 220 cars to date. "Omnivex software is fully scalable, allowing it to expand with UMBC's network as it grows," said Jonathan Rhee. Omnivex is an enterprise-class software suite, which is well suited to managing large networks of digital signage. In addition to providing flexibility in working with the new communications technologies involved, the Omnivex platform enabled UMBC to save on network management costs while providing an easy solution for collecting proof-of-play data.
This innovative deployment received the industry's top honors when it was recognized by industry experts and received an Apex Award for Environmental Design Integration. The APEX Awards represent the very best digital signage, interactive technology and out-of-home network installations. Award nominees are judged by a panel of experts for uniqueness, overall design and implementation.
