A few weeks ago, we featured an article on the Philippine government’s own traffic advisory app for BlackBerry smartphones. Recently though, the PlayBook version has been featured on AppWorld.
Continue reading for more.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) under the leadership of its Chairman, Hon. Francis N. Tolentino, has further extended its reach in providing valuable traffic advisory and improving the daily travel of Filipinos in the bustling metropolis.
The MMDA Traffic Navigator for the PlayBook was developed by PinoyBBDev, a “Research In Motion (RIM)-sanctioned developer community in the Philippines” that “aims to provide information about the latest in BlackBerry development, and in BlackBerry and RIM as a whole.” The group of highly talented volunteer developers were commissioned by the MMDA to develop the traffic apps for the BlackBerry platform, and have succeeded in developing one of the most sought after BlackBerry apps in the metro, both for smartphones and for the PlayBook.
Since it was featured on AppWorld, the MMDA Traffic Navigator for PlayBook version has already been downloaded by many Filipino PlayBook owners.
The app’s main features include a visual Traffic Map, a List View of the traffic situation for major thoroughfares, an FAQ section, and an Information panel.
The Traffic Map view presents the traffic situation in the metro by color-shading major highways and roads to indicate light, light-to-moderate, moderate, moderate-to-heavy, and heavy traffic. Users are given a bird’s-eye-view of the metro, enabling them to make informed decisions on which routes to take to avoid congested routes in Metro Manila.
The List View provides the same traffic information but presents it in text view, making it easier to locate and avoid specific routes. Major thoroughfares are listed, and selecting one gives users the latest traffic advisory for major intersections on that specific route chosen.
Although seemingly simple at face-value, the FAQ section is another feature that many Filipinos highly appreciate because it lists valuable information on laws and regulations governing the metro. Often the subject of discussions between traffic enforcers and drivers (when being apprehended), these laws, regulations, and penalties presented in the app provide sound basis for interpreting whether or not violations were indeed made.
The Information Panel is yet another feature that many find useful, as it lists directories and contact information of offices and key people in the MMDA organization. It also lists the MMDA’s Twitter and FaceBook accounts, and the official MMDA Website address.
The MMDA Traffic Navigator may be fairly simple at a glance but provides vital information that helps Filipinos deal with the challenges of daily travel in the bustling, continuously developing Metropolitan Manila.
Currently, the smartphone version of the app is not yet officially available for 9800 series devices, as the developers explained that bugs on pinch-zooming on the map are still being fixed. It was a pleasant surprise that the PlayBook version was released earlier than the 9800-series fix.
Although Filipinos may well be the main target market for the app, foreigners visiting the country would also highly benefit from the valuable information that the app provides.
Over the past decade, there have been questions raised about the MMDA’s reason for existence, with some people arguing that it should be abolished. With it’s current approach to development and public service, it now seems unlikely that people will still question the MMDA’s purpose and value to the nation.
The PlayBook version of the MMDA Traffic Navigator can be downloaded for free on AppWorld.