Metro App: Search, Book, Move
Enterprise Architecture
Prepared by:
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Table of Content
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................ 3
List of Tables ............................................................................................................................. 3
Section 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................... 4
1.0.
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 4
1.1.
Problem statement ........................................................................................................... 4
1.2.
Proposed solution ............................................................................................................ 4
1.3.
Project Domain and Limitations ..................................................................................... 5
Section 2: Background Information ........................................................................................... 5
2.0.
Background Information ................................................................................................. 5
2.1.
Survey ............................................................................................................................. 6
2.2.
Related work ................................................................................................................... 9
2.2.1.
TheTrainline ................................................................................................................ 9
2.2.2.
WanderU ................................................................................................................... 10
2.2.3.
Moovit ....................................................................................................................... 10
2.2.4.
Hyperdia .................................................................................................................... 10
2.3.
Comparison of Proposed and related work ................................................................... 11
Section 3: System Analysis ...................................................................................................... 11
3.0.
Requirement Specification ............................................................................................ 11
3.1.
System functional requirements .................................................................................... 12
Section 4: System design ......................................................................................................... 14
4.0.
System architecture ....................................................................................................... 14
4.1.
System Interfaces .......................................................................................................... 16
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 19
References ................................................................................................................................ 20
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List of Figures
Figure 1: Survey Results ............................................................................................................ 7
Figure 2: USe Case for Metro App .......................................................................................... 13
Figure 3: Dataflow Diagram for Metro App ............................................................................ 14
Figure 4: System Architecture ................................................................................................. 14
Figure 5: Application Flowchart .............................................................................................. 15
Figure 6: Welcome Screen of Metro App ................................................................................ 16
List of Tables
Table 1: Comparison of Metro and Other Apps ...................................................................... 11
Table 2: Functional Requirements of Metro App .................................................................... 12
Table 3: Non-Functional Requirements ................................................................................... 12
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Section 1: Introduction
1.0. Introduction
With evolution in technology, there is a high rate of adaptation of new advanced and smart
ways of solving various problems. Smart phones and apps have dominated many aspects of
life ranging from farm monitoring and control, health condition monitoring, food ordering
and delivery, and many more [1]. Day-to-day lives of many people is dominated by mobile
applications to enhance and ease various processes and tasks. Daily activities such as
travelling require effective planning to ensure that there is minimal congestion in stations.
Technology has effectively dominated especially in the transport industry where both mobile
and web-based applications are used to facilitate travel [2]. In this context, this report entails
details of developing an application that will be used to reserve seats at the metro station, get
updates of any stops or delays, and get route information at the screen.
1.1.Problem statement
There is an increased congestion at the metro station especially due to the overreliance of
traditional methods of train booking and scheduling [3]. Heavy congestion at the metro
station brings about a wide array of challenges including delays in attending classes when
going to the university, inability to understand routes better, and with the covid-19 situation,
it may lead to infection from one person to another.
1.2.Proposed solution
From the aforementioned problems, it is necessary to develop a user application that will help
people to make reservations, obtain live route information, and updates of the status of their
trains to ease congestion. The proposed solution allows especially university students to make
reservations of the train online, they will get confirmations and the time the train arrives.
People are able to get route information and updates of any delays or snarl-ups experienced
by the train. These information is useful in that it reduces the number of people lining up and
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waiting for the train, one only comes to the station when the time for their train to arrive is
close. Moreover, it makes it easier for one to make prior arrangements and effectively plan
their travels.
1.3.Project Domain and Limitations
Metro is a mobile application which allows people to make reservations for the metro train
and ease congestion at the station. The application also provides appropriate route
information for ease of navigation to and from the university. Besides, it provides real time
updates and notifications of train stoppages and delays so that users are able to plan
effectively. The main aim is to reduce the unnecessary congestion at the train station where
most people go to wait for the train, instead, the application will simply provide information
of arrival times of the train.
Section 2: Background Information
2.0. Background Information
According to [1] system analysis and design is a step by step process where each stage has
predefined actions or activities to be done. The book outlines important aspects of the system
design and development process with an aim of outlaying emphasis on what activities are
involved at each step or process [1].
As per the findings of [4], there are numerous challenges involved in application
development such as time management, development technicalities, and financial constraints.
It is at times overwhelming to develop an application especially while striving to align
functional requirements and performance for an application. This source provides essential
information of how to possibly elude such challenges that may be possibly experienced
during the app development process. Moreover, the source discusses the application of lowcost methodologies to tackle the existing challenges of app development process [4].
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McGinley et al., [5] discusses about reservation and queueing systems with key highlight and
focus on the differences between a reservation and a queueing system. It is critical to
understand fundamentally about the processes and key characteristics of a reservation system
including development components. Understanding reservation requests and the backend
processes involved in the processing of all reservation requests in a system [5]. There is a
balance between processing the reservation requests and balancing of the resources available
to provide the service [5]. In this regard, this source has highlighted the contextual use of a
general reservation system model to develop a reservation system. To overcome such
challenges, [6] proposes use of low-cost methodologies to achieve standard and effective
applications.
2.1.Survey
To achieve the needed solution for the identified problem, a survey was done among a
number of students in the university with the aim of identifying the problem and best
approach to solve it.
Survey questions.
1. How frequently do you use the metro train when going to school?
a.
Once a day
b.
Twice a week
c.
Once a month
d.
Never
2. Are you a student or staff?
a. student
b. staff
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3. what makes you use the metro train?
a. to save on travel cost
b. because it is efficient
c. no other means of travel
d. closeness of the station to university
3. what challenges do you often experience when using the metro train for transport?
a. overcrowding
b. delays
c. hard to find available trains
d. high fare
4. Do you think an application for reservation will help you solve your challenges?
Results of the survey
Figure 1: Survey Results
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2.2.Related work
There are several works done on development of train reservation systems. An overview of
the different applications developed for reservation of the train is prudent for further
enhancement of the proposed solution.
2.2.1. TheTrainline
It is mostly used when one wants to travel
in Europe. Trainline was developed to
assist visitors to navigate their way in
Europe, as it holds bus and train
information for about 36 countries in
Europe. The app allows users to search for
a train, book tickets, and monitor train
schedules.
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2.2.2. WanderU
WanderU covers over 8,000 destinations
in over 20 countries especially in North
America. Users are able to identify
transportation options between two points.
It provides information such as amenities
in trains or buses including air
conditioning, Wi-Fi, and snacks.
2.2.3. Moovit
Moovit is a global application that covers
over 3000 cities in over 98 countries. The
app provide users with information about
public transport systems such as trains,
buses, subways, and even ferries. Users can
book tickets using the application.
2.2.4. Hyperdia
It is among Japan’s top app used for train
services for booking and reservations. The
application is not easy to be used especially for
tourists due to the complexity of the navigation
and timetables.
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2.3.Comparison of Proposed and related work
Table 1: Comparison of Metro and Other Apps
Applicati
on
Usability
√
√
√
√
X
Simplicit
√
X
√
√
X
Security
√
√
√
√
√
Search
√
√
√
√
√
Navigatio √
√
X
X
√
English
English
English
Japanese
y
option s
n
Language English &
Arabic
Section 3: System Analysis
3.0.Requirement Specification
The proposed system is meant to allow users to make reservations for the metro train with the
aim of releiving congestion and saving time especially when students go to the university.
The applicatioin is mainly centered on the user interface with the ability to allow integration
with the local train navigation system.
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3.1.System functional requirements
Table 2: Functional Requirements of Metro App
Function
Steps
Create user
Users are have to register their information on the app interface. This
profile
creates a profile for the user who will from then henceforth be loggin in
to their account to make bookings.
Search for train
The search function of the app is a must for users to search for an
available train heading to their routes. To do this, the app simply allows
users to enter their travel destinations and search for an available train
heading towards the same route. Users are notified on the availability
and duration the train will take to arrive at the station.
Navigation
The app allows user to see navigation information by use of google
maps integrated with application. This provides ease of understanding
of one’s route information.
Table 3: Non-Functional Requirements
Security
The application requires users to use their
email and create a strong password for
security. The password has to be more than
6 characters with a mixture of letters,
characters, and numbers.
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One can recover their profile when they
forget password, a recovery link is sent to
their emails.
Reliability
The application should run with minimal
interruptions and execute functional
requirements as per expectations.
The application should also provide
accurate data that can be used by even
tourists effectively.
Performance
The execution of tasks by the app should be
fast without hanging and minimal response
time.
Figure 2: USe Case for Metro App
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Station Management
Booking counter
Route information
Metro App
Metro management
Ticket management
Fare management
Figure 3: Dataflow Diagram for Metro App
Section 4: System design
4.0.System architecture
The application is based on a multilayer architecture consisting of the presentation, business,
and data layers as illustrated below. The design process of a mobile application has to be
logically structured with a defined flow of execution.
Figure 4: System Architecture
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Presentation layer: it is the first layer which entails the user interface of the app with front
end features that are visible to users. It basically entails the theme of the app, colours, font
sizes, and arrangement of buttons in the screen.
Business layer: It is the layer which entails the business front of the application where the
main focus is the business aspect of the app such as how the app will have financial gain for
the developer. To accomplish the business aspect of the app, the service and domain layers
are sublayers found in the business layer which contain common service functions and the
knowledge aspect for addressing specific problems respectively.
Data layer: the data layer is at the backend of the application which contains service agents
and data storage that allows retrieval and periodic updating. The data layer is secured to
preserve integrity and reliability of the app.
Figure 5: Application Flowchart
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4.1.System Interfaces
Figure 6: Welcome Screen of Metro App
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Conclusion
The proposed application effectively solves the existing challenges in the metro train stations
by reducing the congestion where people are able to make bookings and reservations of the
train. The report has provided complete details of system requirements and functionalities
along with the relevant non-functional requirements such as performance, reliability, and
security.
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References
[1] Dennis Allan, Barbara Wixom., and Roberta Roth, System Analysis and Design 5th
edition., New Jersey: John Willey & Sons. Inc. United States of America, 2012.
[2] Grazia Speranza, "Trends in transportation and logistics," European Journal of
Operational Research, vol. 264, no. 3, pp. 830-836, 2018.
[3] J. Zhou, Y. Wu, X. Mao, S. Guo, and M. Zhang,, "Congestion Evaluation of Pedestrians
in Metro Stations Based on Normal-Cloud Theory," Applied Sciences, vol. 9, no. 17, p.
3624, 2019.
[4] M. E. Joorabchi, A. Mesbah, and P. Kruchten, "“Real Challenges in Mobile App
Development,”," in 2013 ACM / IEEE International Symposium on Empirical Software
Engineering and Measurement, 2013.
[5] M, McGinley., X, Zhu., and M, Veeraraghavan.,, "On reservation systems and queueing
systems.," in In 2014 4th IEEE International Conference on Information Science and
Technology (pp. 272-277). , 2014.
[6] M. Zhang, E. Cheow, C. Ho, B. Ng, R. Ho and C. Cheok, "Application of Low-Cost
Methodologies for Mobile Phone App Development," JMIR mHealth and uHealth, vol.
2, no. 4, p. e55, 2014.
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