RTI (Real Time Information) or Real-time data services
Points Of Interest: Sports, Airports, Weather/Travel, Downsides of RTI,
RTI is information which is update very often if not instantly. This enables people to receive up to date information on practically anything from airports timetables to the latest football scores.
Let’s examine some RTI services
Sports scores/commentary - the end of the radio?
Today people can receive up to date information from a wide array of sports through RTI. RTI enables people using the internet to either receive latest goal, tri etc information or running commentary through text about what is going on. Instead of say someone listening to the radio, they could receive only key updates through an RTI service. RTI services tend to run through an internet website with either an automated update or someone manually updating the information. “Sky Sports Score centre” is a prime example of a sports RTI service. It basically gives up to date information on the majority of sporting games being played at a particular time. This enables users to find out up to date information on more than 1 sporting activity instead of keep on “flicking” between radio stations. Also with RTI you can quite often track back information on what has just happened whilst on radio you need to wait for someone to perhaps mention what just happened. (See movie demostrating an online RTI service).
Airports are taking full advantage of RTI facilities. Airports use RTI to keep travellers completely up to date on what is happening. In airports they often have giant screens displaying what time flights are leaving or in fact if their not leaving at all. Also airport update information can be found often through airport websites. For people perhaps collecting travellers this can be of great help as they know when the flights are expected so they can plan when to collect them.
Similar information is available for train times and other travel services.
Weather RTI services can give up to date information on what is happening with the weather. This can also be very handy for travellers as they know what’s ahead or even if they need to make alternative arrangements to their planned journey.
Another source of RTI with the travels is traffic control. Using the internet users can found of what the traffic is like or in some cases actually see what the traffic is like. Services now a days as well as offering regular text based update can in fact show a live webcam of the traffic is like streaming over the internet.
Downsides effecting all RTI services:
It is very possible that in fact some RTI services may get the information wrong. It may vary between someone making a minor spelling mistake or someone accidentally pressing a wrong key/button. In some cases people are very dependant of the RTI information being accurate such a share prices. For example, if someone is using a share price RTI service and the information is wrong there could be devastating results. Users could think that “now” is the time to sell some share because the prices is so good when in fact the person controlling the RTI service as accidentally pressed the wrong key (i.e. one to many zeros). This could loose shareholders huge amounts of money. That is why some RTI services need to be under stricter control than others. On the upside the RTI controller may type something with say one less zero so when the person sells their shares they may be in for a bit of a surprise because the shares have sold for more than what they where expecting.
Looking at a more general view, when RTI information is wrong it tends to cause more an annoyance to the user than anything else. Like if they think there team as just scored when in fact they haven’t or they think the roads are clear and they are not. Looking to the future it is apparent that more and more company’s are making use of the RTI market. Just how long until everyone uses an RTI service?
Every Saturday I visit the Sky Sports online RTI service to find out that latest results from the all of the football action. When I am busy working on the internet it takes me less than one minute to just visit the site and find out the latest score rather than me having to listen into the radio and wait until they announce the score. With RTI services I find that I am completely in control of the information I want to receive at any time.