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| ORR asking for views wrt NREs policy on access to live info API 31/05/2011 at 11:00 #3123 | |
dbrb2
21 posts |
Hi - I've asked the below on another forum already, but I'd be interested in your views. I've been using the National Rail Enquiries LDB API for a while now. After some discussion surrounding the extent to which NRR was making the API available (or not), the ORR published a code of practice - which is available here: http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.2433 This code is up for renewal in a few weeks, and various parties are looking at making submissions to the ORR to point out the good, and the bad, aspects of the current API - both in terms of its availability to developers, and in the data that it provides. On this second point, I had a query: The current API allows for a user to query for services at a particular station. Every service shown as arriving at, or departing from, that station, will have a unique identifier. That identifier can be used to query for more details on that service. However - the unique identifier is unique not to the service alone, but to the service and station combined. This means that a train on the departures list at KGX will have a different id from the same service on the arrivals board at PBO. This can cause problems - since if I know a train has left station A for station Z, but no longer appears on the departures board for A, nor on the arrivals board for Z, I have no way of finding out its status - short of trying every intermediate station - which is both slow and inefficient. I would assume that the database on which the current API is based must have the concept of a service id, with the ability to search based on a service - independent of station. Would this be the headcode? Obviously asking the NRE to provide info that is not readily available would be a non-starter. But if, for example, this info was already available via the CCLDB, then the changes required would be minimal. Any thoughts? Cheers, Ben http://liveTrains.co.uk Log in to reply |
| ORR asking for views wrt NREs policy on access to live info API 31/05/2011 at 11:00 #16189 | |
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dbrb2
21 posts |
Hi - I've asked the below on another forum already, but I'd be interested in your views. I've been using the National Rail Enquiries LDB API for a while now. After some discussion surrounding the extent to which NRR was making the API available (or not), the ORR published a code of practice - which is available here: http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.2433 This code is up for renewal in a few weeks, and various parties are looking at making submissions to the ORR to point out the good, and the bad, aspects of the current API - both in terms of its availability to developers, and in the data that it provides. On this second point, I had a query: The current API allows for a user to query for services at a particular station. Every service shown as arriving at, or departing from, that station, will have a unique identifier. That identifier can be used to query for more details on that service. However - the unique identifier is unique not to the service alone, but to the service and station combined. This means that a train on the departures list at KGX will have a different id from the same service on the arrivals board at PBO. This can cause problems - since if I know a train has left station A for station Z, but no longer appears on the departures board for A, nor on the arrivals board for Z, I have no way of finding out its status - short of trying every intermediate station - which is both slow and inefficient. I would assume that the database on which the current API is based must have the concept of a service id, with the ability to search based on a service - independent of station. Would this be the headcode? Obviously asking the NRE to provide info that is not readily available would be a non-starter. But if, for example, this info was already available via the CCLDB, then the changes required would be minimal. Any thoughts? Cheers, Ben http://liveTrains.co.uk Log in to reply |
| ORR asking for views wrt NREs policy on access to live info API 31/05/2011 at 13:05 #16196 | |
GeoffM
6282 posts 
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The iPhone NRES app allows you to track a train after it has left the station (previously had the same problem as you). Might be worth trying to find out how it does it. I'm pretty sure it uses the same web service as the update notes mentioned the security token added a while ago.
SimSig Boss Log in to reply |
| ORR asking for views wrt NREs policy on access to live info API 31/05/2011 at 19:04 #16204 | |
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y10g9
895 posts |
Just out of interest, is this related to the edinbrugh sim? Would this topic not be better placed in the general rail chat area? Log in to reply |
| ORR asking for views wrt NREs policy on access to live info API 31/05/2011 at 19:23 #16205 | |
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dbrb2
21 posts |
Yes - you are entirely right. I'm afraid I posted it in the wrong part of the forum by accident! I have emailed one of the board admins to ask them if they can move it - if not I'll just start again! Log in to reply |
| ORR asking for views wrt NREs policy on access to live info API 31/05/2011 at 21:06 #16210 | |
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y10g9
895 posts |
they'll pick it up soon. no need to start a new topic 
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| ORR asking for views wrt NREs policy on access to live info API 31/05/2011 at 22:27 #16213 | |
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mfcooper
707 posts |
Topic Moved
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