Implementing Digital Signage

Santa Barbara, Calif.

Rick Wood

President and CEO

CHK America

In 2018, to become Smart City savvy, cities are upgrading their digital signage ecosystems to improve communication and mobility; this in turn requires the development of best practice guidelines for digital signage implementation. Digital technology has transformed peoples’ lives — knowing when a bus is coming or how to plan a trip; the ability for transit customers to have more control over their trip by access to real-time knowledge. Integrated transportation information delivered by digital signage is becoming the new standard demanded by customers.

As part of the most recent round of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Smart City Challenge, many communities proposed enhancing transit information to increase ridership, and increase community equity to ensure that disadvantaged people share in the benefits of agencies investing in new digital infrastructure.

For transit agencies considering how to deploy digital signage at transit stops, some of the questions agencies should start with is where should it be deployed and who should it serve? Can the signage be solar-powered so that it is not dependent on expensive electrical infrastructure? Is the signage and remote software resilient so that it can continue to operate during weather emergencies? What will it cost? How will it be supported? Can the signs be supported remotely with a single content management system and offer flexibility so that an individual or groups of signs can be programmed with specific messages?

These questions can help transit agencies define a product specification that increases their customers’ satisfaction and safety and also increase the resiliency of their infrastructure. Offering digital signage is an integral strategy for cities and transit agencies that can increase the equity of their digital investments and offer more convenient and effective delivery of transit information to their residents and riders.

CHK America has developed a suite of ePaper, Connectpoint Digital Signage product platforms that are managed remotely via our cloud-based, backend system — CPAM. This platform is not “device dependent” so the agency can deploy the appropriate hardware for each location. At the same time, using a single backend gives an agency the flexibility it needs in regards to platform selection and not be limited by different backends for different delivery platforms.

Agencies have already adopted this technology and digital bus stops signs have already been deployed across the U.S. including San Jose, California, and Fort Worth, Texas, Chicago, Illinois, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Companies like CHK America are partnering with transit agencies to reach transit riders at transit stops with digital signage displaying next arrival information. Solar-powered, with epaper screens that can be seen in bright sunlight, CHK’s Connectpoint products offer agencies flexibility and scalability made by a US company that are ADA compliant.

With emerging smart cities, technology will play a role in transforming public transport systems through better efficiency and adapting to passenger’s needs and CHK America is committed in its partnership with agencies in achieving this goal.  Lastly, an additional benefit of digital, transit innovation is that it can pay for itself by incorporating advertising. All CHK’s ePaper, digital displays and interactive kiosk displays have an easy interface where sections of the screen can be dedicated to branding or ads. Also, transit innovation in the long term will pay for itself via less energy and resources used to transport millions of passengers daily.

For more information: [email protected], 805.682.8900 Ext. 105, Twitter or LinkedIn.