Development of information terminal 'it scarecrow' for rural station

This paper explains the development of an information terminal for a rural station and its background system. The information terminal, which we call 'IT scarecrow', displays traffic information based on a train location system. It is designed like a scarecrow to blend into a rural station. The service the system provides depends mainly on passengers' surveys and discussions with the rural community. In addition, we tried to make the system at low cost. In the spring of 2007, we made some preliminary system tests followed by an experiment in an actual station. As a result, we learned what the critical conditions for the next implementation should be. The IT scarecrow is consulted as a representative of communication between a railway and a local community. We hope the system will expand and also that it be implemented as a mobile guidance system.