QuTi

QuTi is a mobile application that delivers real-time information on queue-sensitive events, such as restaurants, shops, cinemas, etc. It will deliver information on crowds and queuing times, and if applicable also on the availability of certain products. The application will be accessible anytime, anywhere and with any (mobile) device. 

How?

A generic framework, the QuTi framework, is developed that allow customers to specify and configure their QuTi application. 
The QuTi framework is using sensor technology, so-called people counters, to do the real-time measurements of the traffic. This information is processed and stored on a server where Web and Mobile application can access it to provide it in an appropriate form to the end-user.

Demo application

As a demo application, a QuTi application will be developed for the VUB restaurant. In real-time, it will be possible to consult the queuing lengths and the availability of the different menus by means of mobile devices as well as by means of a web browser. Also average queuing lengths will be provided for different moments during the day. The restaurant owner will be provided with more elaborated statistics. The use of the application may hopefully flatten the traffic peak and spread all the people across the opening hours of the restaurant.

Use case

Thomas is a student at the VUB. At lunchtime, he would like to take a hot meal at the restaurant of the VUB. However, he has little time between his morning course and his afternoon course. But, there can be a lot of people in the restaurant and the queues can be long. To know if he will have enough time to take a hot meal, as well as to check that his favorite menu is still available, he opens the QuTi application on his mobile phone and using the public available wireless network on the campus, he receives in real time the total amount of people waiting for a meal in the restaurant, de expected waiting time and the menus that are still available. He sees that there is not a lot of people and that his favorite meal is still available and decides to go for the hot meal.