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INFO-Agent allows you to provide fast and accurate responses to everything from trip planning and schedule lookups to finding detailed information about transfers and bus stops.
About This Guide
This user guide provides detailed step-by-step instructions about INFO-Agent tools and features.
Resources for Software Maintenance
You can access additional technical assistance through the Collaborate community and the annual Think Transit conference.
Logging on to INFO-Agent
To access INFO-Agent, you must provide the necessary identification information.
Changing Your Password
Password policies specify the frequency with which users must change their passwords, and the number and types of characters allowed in passwords. For more information, contact your system administrator.
Logging Off INFO-Agent
It is important to exit from the system properly. Failure to do so could lead to the corruption of the database. Never switch off the power button until you have exited from the system correctly.
About the INFO-Agent Screen
The references made in the following graphic outline menus, bars, and buttons that are referred to throughout this guide and that comprise the Trapeze4 workspace.
Geocoding a point assigns it precise longitude and latitude values in the system.
Changing the Layout of Address Boxes
You can change the layout of all address boxes or individual address boxes.
Opening the Address Info Dialog
The Address Info dialog shows address field labels for typed values.
About the Address Matcher Dialog
The Address Matcher dialog has two display areas and a status bar.
Geocoding Using an Address (Street Number and Street Name)
This is the best method to use when you have the exact and complete address information at hand and you need to manually type and geocode it into the system.
Geocoding Using an Intersection (Street and Cross Street)
You can geocode an address by defining a street and its closest intersecting street.
Geocoding Using the Mouse and Map
This method is used, for example, when you need to send a vehicle to a recently developed location in the city that is not yet recognized in the map.
Geocoding Stops Based on Street Segment
You can geocode the stop to indicate where it is located in a segment – on the left, center or right side of the road from the perspective of point A (origin).
Batch Geocoding Addresses
The Batch Geocoder is a tool that allows you to geocode groups of addresses previously typed into the system at one time.
The system map provides a geographical representation of your service area.
Trapeze Map Data System Properties
Trapeze Map Data properties define the location of map files.
Opening the System Map
The system map allows you to view address locations in relation to their street, city, or other geocoded locations.
User-Defined Map Properties
Map properties determine the way the system matches an address to be geocoded against information within the database, and the visual layout of the system map on the screen and on printout.
Resizing the System Map
Resizing the system map allows you make the map bigger on the screen or to make it smaller so that you can view more information in the other panes.
Adjusting the System Map View
Changing the level of detail on the map allows you to see the entire map or to view areas on a map more closely.
Accessing Map Features
You can access Map features through the Map menu and the main toolbar.
About Map Layers and Layer Control
Layer control allow you to define which map layers, such as individual polygons, are visible on the map.
Viewing Different Map Settings
Map settings can be viewed for screens or printing.
INFO-Agent allows you to view various bus schedules (headway sheets) from anywhere in the application using the Headway Wizard, which contains the headway sheets. In fact stop times, vehicle headways and run times can all be viewed quickly from the Headway Wizard.
Using the Headway Wizard
The Headway Wizard allows you to specify the sign-up period and service of the route whose trips you want to view.
Methods of Opening Headway Sheets
The Headway sheets can be opened from the main menu and toolbar, and on different tabs in the Itinerary Planning screen.
About Customizing the Headway Wizard
To customize the view of a headway sheet, refer to the following sections that discuss the options on the Headway screen toolbar:
Lines By Node and Lines By Stop Options
You can view headway sheets of lines that are associated with a specific node or stop on the headway sheet currently being viewed.
Opening a Second Headway Sheet
You can open a headway of a line that shares a node or stop with the line currently displayed. You can open a new headway sheet of the selected line; you can open as many additional headways as required.
About Stops with Time Closest to Current Time
When you open the Headway Wizard, the first stop on the trip with the time that is closest to the current time is highlighted on the grid.
Adding Schedule Adherence to Headway Wizard
Schedule adherence refers to the on-time vehicle performance, that is, how closely the vehicle adheres to its scheduled times. You can add the Schedule Adherence column in the Headway Wizard or Show Stop dialog.
Stops and Lines on Map
The following commands are used in the Headway Wizard to identify stops and lines on the map:
Closing and Minimizing the Headway Wizard
You can choose to close or minimize the Headway Wizard screen while working with other INFO-Agent features.
INFO-Agent provides various steps to access information associated with bus stops.
Searching for Next Bus Time (Lines and Stops Tab)
Searching for the next bus stop time information consists of entering an origin and time of day, and then searching for times. Type the data in the Request tab in the same fields used in an itinerary search.
Getting Walking Instructions (Distance Wizard)
View walking instructions from an origin or destination to your bus stop.
Using Show Stop
The Show Stop feature provides more information on a bus stop on the Lines and Stops tab of the Itinerary Planning screen or on a headway sheet.
About Zooming to Stops on Map
Once you retrieve a schedule, next bus information, or a trip plan you can zoom to a stop on the map. Zooming gives you the best view of a given stop.
Itinerary generation in Trapeze4 consists of inputting an origin, destination, and time, then searching for possible itineraries between the two points. This feature allows you to view itineraries, bus stops and other information on the map.
Generating Itineraries
The main elements of planning a trip are the date and time of the expected arrival or departure from an origin to a destination, which can either be an address, stop, or location.
Itinerary Search Results
The itinerary search results are shown on the Lines and Stops tab.
Describing an Itinerary
A description of an itinerary can help you explain it to the customer requesting the information.
Shifting Itineraries (Previous or Next)
Shifting itineraries allows you to tell callers when previous or later trip times are scheduled for the itinerary search you have already performed.
Using the Clipboard to Save Itineraries
The Clipboard allows you to save itineraries for your clients. After you have generated itineraries for clients, copy the itinerary to the clipboard and generate another itinerary.
Sending an Itinerary by Email
An itinerary can be sent to a client by email.
Viewing the Itinerary Printout Screen
You can choose to see how the itinerary will look like when printed.
Parameters
When you perform an itinerary search, the results are governed by a set of parameters recorded on the Parameters tab of the Itinerary Planning screen.
This section explains the organization of the Remarks screen, how to access it, and how to tell when there are new remarks you need to look at.
About the Remarks Screen
The Remarks screen displays the list of remarks on the left pane (grid). The details (the content of an individual remark) are on the right pane.
Remarks Commands
Remarks are added and edited using the same Remarks screen.
Accessing Remarks
The Remarks feature can be accessed in several ways.
Setting Remarks Context
The Remarks Context dialog allows you to apply additional filters to view remarks.
About Remark Characteristics
Remark characteristics are the attributes that are associated with each message or remark. These characteristics give you useful information about the remarks you receive and can answer a lot of questions you may have about them.
Creating Remarks
You can add a remark that applies to lines, patterns, trips, or vehicles.
Saving Remarks in Archive
The archiving feature is used to send and retrieve selected remarks to and from the archive.
Retrieving Remarks from Archive
The archived remarks are shown in a list for easy retrieval.
Wizards are tools that can provide useful information while working in the Trapeze workstation.
About Street Wizard
The Street Wizard is a search tool that lets you find a specific street, cross street, or street range.
About Find Closest Wizard
Use the Find Closest Wizard to search for vehicles, stops, locations, client addresses, or events within close proximity to a specific address.
About Distance Wizard
Use the Distance Wizard to determine distances between different points on the map.