Improving the infrastructure of a city can at times be a complex and difficult task. It’s generally expensive, a lengthy process, and sometimes controversial. What’s often more achievable is improving what we call the ‘infostructure.’
The infostructure makes use of mobile and ubiquitous computing technologies, coupled with dynamic urban displays, to give users access to information that was previously not visible.
This refers to digital information systems that can sometimes be embedded in a physical space. The infostructure makes use of mobile and ubiquitous computing technologies, coupled with dynamic urban displays, to give users access to information that was previously not visible. The idea is that through this additional information users are able to make better-informed decisions, therefore making better use of the existing infrastructure. It’s more achievable than improving infrastructure because the physical modifications needed in a particular space are often minimal compared to the changes needed to build a new train line or set up a new bus network.
The infrastructure may be approaching some of its constraints – for example, reducing interval times between trains is a challenge because there need to be safety buffers between each train’s arrival and departure.
This philosophy forms the foundation of the Encircle project – thinking about an alternative solution to the challenges public transport is facing with population growth. The infrastructure may be approaching some of its constraints – for example, reducing interval times between trains is a challenge because there need to be safety buffers between each train’s arrival and departure. But an area for improvement might be in the speed at which customers get on and off the trains, which can be achieved through better infostructure – providing customers with information about which carriages have more capacity, or helping spread them along the platform so train dwell times are reduced.
The philosophy was seeded in the book publication of Infostructure: A Transport Research Project, by Encircle members Hank Haeusler and Martin Tomitsch, alongside Nicole Gardner. The book contained original articles about the notion of infostructure, as well as research projects into a train station as an architectural and spatial environment and mobile application solutions to transport issues. At the time the book was published there weren’t many mobile applications available in the various app stores and marketplaces. It is interesting to see many of the ideas envisioned through prototypes by students in the Bachelor of Design Computing now becoming reality.