GB2636200A

GB2636200A - Method and system for journey support

Info

Publication number: GB2636200A
Application number: GB2318572.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Holtzhausen Marlize
Original assignee: R24 International Ltd
Current assignee: R24 International Ltd
Priority date: 2023-12-05
Filing date: 2023-12-05
Publication date: 2025-06-11
Also published as: WO2025120562A1; GB202318572D0

Abstract

A method and system 100 for journey support comprises receiving at an operations platform 112, a request for a journey service and planning the journey service. The request includes a journey start point and end point, a planned journey time, and details of one or more passengers 143, having a mobile device 142. A route for the journey is planned using a user interface 114 having a mapping user interface, and resources including one or more human personnel 123, 125 and/or one or more physical assets 133, 135 are allocated with assigned roles. The human personnel each have a mobile device 122, 124 which is provided with a resource application having a location tracking function for live tracking of the allocated human personnel, and the one or more physical assets each have a location tracking function 132, 134 for live tracking of the allocated physical asset. Once successfully scheduled, the journey service is activated and displayed as an active journey service on a live mapping user interface having display icons for live tracking of the one or more passengers and the allocated resources.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR JOURNEY SUPPORT

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to computer-implemented journey support and security, in particular for travel by one or more people.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Traveling to an unfamiliar destination includes a large number of challenges. The arrangement of travel and security during the travel itself is difficult to coordinate. In some travel scenarios, the passenger may be of high security risk due to a high profile or net worth. Corporate travel is often organised centrally and requires frequent travel by business personnel.

Many passengers encounter problems when traveling to unfamiliar destinations. Problems include a lack of understanding of a destination and associated security risks. Although local guides are more familiar with travel destinations, it is often difficult to connect to suitable resources without extensive time and effort.

The preceding discussion of the background to the invention is intended only to facilitate an understanding of the present invention. It should be appreciated that the discussion is not an acknowledgment or admission that any of the material referred to was part of the common general knowledge in the art as at the priority date of the application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an aspect of the invention there is provided a computer-implemented method for journey support, comprising: receiving at an operations platform, a request for a journey service including details of a journey start point and end point, a planned journey time, and one or more passengers; planning the journey service at the operations platform including: scheduling the journey service; planning a route for the journey using a mapping user interface at the operations platform; and allocating resources with assigned roles, wherein the resources include one or more human personnel, each having a mobile device including a communication function and a location tracking function, and wherein the resources include one or more physical assets each having a location tracking function; and activating the scheduled journey service as an active journey service including live location monitoring at the operations platform of the one or more passengers at least one having a mobile device including a communication function and a location tracking function, and live location monitoring of the allocated resources.

The method may include coordinating resources during an active journey service including reassigning roles of resources during the active journey based on live tracking feedback and communication with the allocated resources and based on communication and tracking of other available resources, and communicating during an active journey service with the allocated resources in the form of one or more human personnel via the communication function of their mobile device, and including monitoring status information of the mobile devices.

The method may include escalating an issue with a planned or active journey service that requires action including status and alert notifications, and providing a user interface of the operation platform including: a mapping user interface for planning a route for the journey, and a live mapping user interface for live location monitoring during an active journey service including: display of icons for live tracking of the allocated resources using the location tracking functions of the resources including the human personnel and the physical assets; and display of icons for live tracking of the one or more passengers using the location tracking function of the passenger mobile device.

The user interface of the operation platform may include: a resource communication interface for displaying status information of each allocated resource's mobile device and direct communication with each allocated resource's mobile device, a resource coordinating interface for displaying status information of each allocated resource's mobile device and other available resource's mobile devices, and status information for each physical asset. and a dashboard interface providing interaction with: incoming journey service requests, scheduled journey service requests, and active service requests.

The method may further include providing a resource application for a resource's mobile device in communication with the operations platform, wherein the resource application includes: a location tracking function, a communication function including direct in-application messaging and call functionality, a camera accessing function for direct in-application image providing, and a monitoring function for providing status information of the mobile device to the operations platform; and providing a providing a passenger application for a passenger's mobile device in communication with the operations platform, wherein the passenger application includes: a location tracking function, a communication function including direct in-application messaging and call functionality, a camera accessing function for direct in-application image providing, and a monitoring function for providing status information of the mobile device to the operations platform.

The method may further include integrating the operations platform with an external service platform including: sharing user interfaces of the operations platform including live mapping user interface and resource communication interfaces, wherein the external service platform is provided in a different geographical area to the operations platform and is an emergency services platform.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention there is provided a system for journey support, including: an operations platform having a memory for storing computer-readable program code and a processor for executing the computer-readable program code, the operations platform, 20 comprising: a request receiving component for receiving a request for a journey service including details of a journey start point and end point, a planned journey time, and one or more passengers; a planning component for planning the journey service at the operations platform including: a scheduling component for scheduling the journey service; a route planning component for planning a route for the journey using a mapping user interface at the operations platform; and a resource allocation component for allocating resources with assigned roles, wherein the resources include one or more human personnel, each having a mobile device including a communication function and a location tracking function, and wherein the resources include one or more physical assets each having a location tracking function; and a service activation component for activating the scheduled journey service as an active journey service including live location monitoring at the operations platform of the one or more passengers at least one having a mobile device including a communication function and a location tracking function, and live location monitoring of the allocated resources.

The operations platform may include: a resource coordination component for coordinating resources during an active journey service including reassigning roles of resources during the active journey based on live tracking feedback and communication with the allocated resources and based on communication and tracking of other available resources, and a communicating component for communicating during an active journey service with the allocated resources in the form of one or more human personnel via the communication function of their mobile device, and including monitoring status information of the mobile devices.

The operations platform may include: an escalating component for escalating an issue with a planned or active journey service that requires action including status and alert notifications, an integrating component for integrating the operations platform with an external service platform including sharing user interfaces of the operations platform including live mapping user interface and resource communication interfaces, and a user interface including: a mapping user interface for planning a route for the journey, and a live mapping user interface for live location monitoring during an active journey service including: icons for live tracking of the allocated resources using the location tracking functions of the resources including the human personnel and the physical assets, and icons for live tracking of the one or more passengers using the location tracking function of the passenger mobile device.

The user interface may include: a resource communication interface for displaying communication information of each allocated resource's mobile device and providing direct communication with each allocated resource's mobile device, a resource coordinating interface for displaying status information of each allocated resource's mobile device and other available resource's mobile devices, and status information for each physical asset, and a dashboard interface providing interaction with: incoming journey service requests, scheduled journey service requests, and active service requests.

The system may further include: a resource mobile device having a resource application in communication with the operations platform, wherein the resource application includes: a location tracking function, a communication function including direct in-application messaging and call functionality, a camera accessing function for direct in-application image providing, and a monitoring function for providing status information of the mobile device to the operations platform; and a passenger mobile device having a passenger application in communication with the operations platform, wherein the passenger application includes: a location tracking function, a communication function including direct in-application messaging and call functionality, a camera accessing function for direct in-application image providing, and a monitoring function for providing status information of the mobile device to the operations platform.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention there is provided a computer program product for journey support, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having stored computer-readable program code for performing the steps of: receiving at an operations platform, a request for a journey service including details of a journey start point and end point, a planned journey time, and one or more passengers; planning the journey service at the operations platform including: scheduling the journey service; planning a route for the journey using a mapping user interface at the operations platform; and allocating resources with assigned roles, wherein the resources include one or more human personnel, each having a mobile device including a communication function and a location tracking function, and wherein the resources include one or more physical assets each having a location tracking function; and activating the scheduled journey service as an active journey service including live location monitoring at the operations platform of the one or more passengers at least one having a mobile device including a communication function and a location tracking function, and live location monitoring of the allocated resources.

Further features provide for the computer-readable medium to be a non-transitory computer-readable medium and for the computer-readable program code to be executable by a processing circuit.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram which illustrates an exemplary system for journey support according to embodiments of the present invention; Figure 2 is a flow diagram which illustrates an exemplary method for journey support according to embodiments of the present invention; Figure 3 is a block diagram which illustrates an exemplary system for journey support according to embodiments of the present invention; Figure 4 is a flow diagram which illustrates a further exemplary method for journey support according to embodiments of the present invention; Figure 5 is a block diagram which illustrates exemplary components which may be provided by a system for journey support; Figure 6 is a schematic diagram which illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a user interface which may be provided by a system for journey support; Figure 7 is a schematic diagram which illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a user interface which may be provided by a system for journey support; Figure 8 is a schematic diagram which illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a user interface which may be provided by a system for journey support; Figure 9 is a schematic diagram which illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a user interface which may be provided by a system for journey support; Figure 10 is a block diagram which illustrates an exemplary system in a cloud environment which may be provided; Figure 11 illustrates an example of a computing device in which various aspects of the

disclosure may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE DRAWINGS

A computer-implemented method and system is provided for journey support. In particular, this includes coordinating resources and assets and monitoring the live journey to ensure the safety and security of a journey. A journey planning and support platform is described that can connect and coordinate resources and assets needed for a journey for passengers and empower the services between.

Specific embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the Figures. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram which illustrates an exemplary system (110) for journey support. The system (110) includes a server (1 1 0) providing an operations platform ( 112) having a user interface (114) for user interaction with the operations platform (112). A database (116) may be associated with the server (110). The server (110) may be any appropriate server providing processing to the operations platform (112) including but not limited to a distributed server, cloud-based server, server cluster or the like.

The operations platform (112) provides journey support including coordination and tracking of resources with assigned roles. The resources include multiple resource personnel (120) in the form of human personnel (123, 125), each having a mobile device (122, 124) including a communication function and a location tracking function. The resources include one or more resource assets (130) in the form of physical assets (133, 135) each having an asset device (132, 134) including at least a location tracking function. Passengers (140) or travellers, who are the subject of the journey, in the form of one or more human (143) may also have mobile devices (142) for live tracking and communication with the operations platform (112). The server (110) is in communication with the plurality of mobile devices (122, 124, 142) and asset devices (132, 134) over a communication network (160).

In the illustrated embodiment, although only a few mobile devices are shown, it is understood that a large number of mobile devices will be included in the system. In a preferred embodiment, a mobile application operating on the mobile devices will facilitate operation of the system, although the system may be operated through other means on the electronic devices such as a webpage accessible by a web browser.

Any suitable electronic device may be used as mobile device (122, 124, 142) including, but not limited to, a mobile smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a smart watch, wearable smart devices, or the like. Any suitable electronic device may be used as an asset device (132, 134) including a vehicle having location tracking functions, an Internet of Things device, etc. Communication between the server (110) and each mobile device (122, 124, 142, 132, 134) may take place over any suitable communication network (112), including a local wireless network, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G) or fifth generation (5G) cellular network, high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) network, and general packet radio service (GPRS) network to name but a few examples. In a preferred embodiment, each mobile device is capable of directly communicating with the server through the communication channel, however, it is envisaged that this may not always be possible and, in such cases, a mobile device may be enabled to communicate with the server utilizing the communication capabilities of another communication device, for example a smart watch that uses the communication capabilities of a smartphone.

Each mobile device may include a location detection system which enables the device to determine its location. The location detection system may be a Global Positioning System (GPS), a Wireless Positioning System (WPS), a Local Positioning System (LPS), an Indoor Positioning System (IPS), or the like. In some embodiments, the mobile devices may not be provided with their own location detection systems but their locations may nevertheless be capable of being determined by the server through means such as locating an internet protocol (IP) address of the mobile device, or by means of the user manually providing a location.

The operations platform (112) may be in communication via a network (160) with one or more third party servers (140) supporting a service provider platform (152). A service provider platform (152) may include a user interface (154) and may be integrated with the functionality of the operations platform (112) during a live journey support in order to provide additional support services. In one embodiment, a service provider platform (152) may be specific to a country or region that may be integrated for local support to the journey. For example, this may be a security service provider platform (152) for providing security and protection support.

The system (110) described above may implement a method for journey support. An exemplary method (200) for journey support is illustrated in the flow diagram of Figure 2. The method (200) is described with reference to further system components illustrated in the block diagram of Figure 3.

The method may provide (201) a user interface (114) of the operations platform (112) for display and input by a user. The user interface (114) may include a user mapping user interface for planning a route for the journey and a live mapping user interface for live location monitoring during an active journey service including display of icons. The user interface (114) may also include display and input for planning a journey including allocating resources and assigning roles to the resources. The user interface (114) may also include display and input for communication with the resources and one or more passengers.

The method may plan (202) a journey service by receiving a request for the journey service including details of a journey start point and end points, a planned journey time, and one or more passengers. The operations platform may receive the journey request and a journey planning system (320) may include functionality to plan (202) the journey service. The planning (202) may include scheduling and a route planning. The method may include allocating (203) resources including one or more human resource personnel and/or one or more physical resource assets with each resource having an assigned role.

The method may provide (204) a resource application (124) for a mobile device (122) of a human resource personnel. The resource application (124) may have a location tracking function linked to a tracking component (322) of the mobile device (122) for real time tracking of the allocated human personnel. The resource application (124) may have a communication function linked to a communication component (324) of the mobile device (122) for direct in-application messaging and call functionality. The resource application (124) may have a camera accessing function for direct in-application image providing using a camera (326) of the mobile device (122). The resource application (124) may have a monitoring function for providing real time status information of the mobile device (122) to the operations platform by linking to a device status component (328) of the mobile device (122), for example as provided by the operating system of the mobile device (122). Status information may include the application status information including name, date, and version being used, and/or the mobile device status information including battery level and signal strength.

The method may provide (205) an asset application (134) for an asset device (132) of a physical resource asset. For example, physical assets may be vehicles used in the journey service and other equipment. The asset application (134) may have a location tracking function linked to a tracking component (332) of the asset device (132) for real time tracking of the allocated asset. The asset application (134) may have a communication function linked to a communication component (334) of the asset device (132) for direct in-application alert functionality. The asset application (134) may have a camera accessing function for direct in-application image providing using a camera (336) of the asset device (132) such as a vehicle dashboard camera. The asset application (134) may have a monitoring function for providing real time status information of the asset device (132) to the operations platform by linking to a device status component (338) of the asset device (132), for example as provided by the operating system of the mobile device (122).

Status information may include the application status information including name, date, and version being used, and/or the asset device status information including battery level and signal strength.

The method may provide (206) a passenger application (144) for a mobile device (142) of a passenger. The passenger application (144) may have a location tracking function linked to a tracking component (342) of the mobile device (142) for real time tracking of the passenger. The passenger application (144) may have a communication function linked to a communication component (344) of the mobile device (142) for direct in-application messaging and call functionality. The passenger application (144) may have a camera accessing function for direct in-application image providing using a camera (346) of the mobile device (142). The passenger application (144) may have a monitoring function for providing real time status information of the mobile device (142) to the operations platform by linking to a device status component (348) of the mobile device (142), for example as provided by the operating system of the mobile device (142). Status information may include the application status information including name, date, and version being used, and/or the mobile device status information including battery level and signal strength.

The one or more mobile devices (122, 132, 142) may each have a processor for executing the functions of described components, which may be provided by hardware or by software units executing on the mobile devices. The software units may be stored in a memory component and instructions may be provided to the processor to carry out the functionality of the described components. Some or all of the components may be provided by a software application downloadable onto and executable on the mobile devices (122, 132, 142).

The user interface (114) of the operations platform (112) may include a resource communication interface for displaying status information of each allocated resource's mobile device and direct communication with each allocated resource's mobile device, a resource coordinating interface for displaying status information of each allocated resource's mobile device and other available resource's mobile devices, and status information for each physical asset and a dashboard interface for providing interaction with incoming journey service requests, scheduled journey service requests, and active service requests.

The method may run (207) a live journey service as described further below in relation to Figure 25 4.

The method may integrate (208) the operations platform (112) with an external service provider platform (152), for example an emergency service platform which may be provided in a different geographical area to the operations platform. The method may share (209) the user interface (114) of the operating platform (112) with the external service provider platform (152) including the live mapping user interface and resource communication interfaces. The operations platform (112) may include an integrating component (332) that cooperates with an integrating receiving component (352) of the service provider platform (152). The integrating component (332) and the integrating receiving component (352) may share the user interface (114) of the operating platform (112) with the user interface (154) of the service provider platform (152) and vice versa.

The service provider platform (152) may have a live journey monitoring system (350) mirrored or accessed from the live journey monitoring system (320) of the operations platform (112). The service provider platform (152) may have a communicating component (354) for direct communication with resource applications (124), asset applications (134), and passenger application (144) by sharing the communication channels from the operations platform (112).

Referring to Figure 4, a flow diagram (400) shows further details of an example embodiment of the described journey support method at the operations platform.

The method may receive (401) a request for a journey service and plans (402) the journey service using the operations platform. The request may include details of a journey start point and end points, a planned journey time, and one or more passengers. The method may schedule (403) the journey service and may plan (404) a route for the journey using a mapping user interface. The method may allocate (405) resources with assigned roles. The resources may include multiple human resource personnel and multiple physical resource assets.

Once the journey is successfully scheduled, it may be activated (406) and displayed as an active journey service on a live mapping user interface at the user interface (114) of the operations platform (112) including live location monitoring of the passenger and live tracking of the allocated human resource personnel and physical resource assets, using the location tracking functions of these resources.

Once the journey service is active on the live mapping user interface, the user may monitor (407) the one or more passenger, the allocated human resources, and the allocated physical resource assets in real time using a live mapping user interface.

During the active journey service, the user may coordinate (408) resources in real time. This may include reassigning roles of resources during the active journey based on live tracking feedback and communication with the allocated resources and based on communication and tracking of other available resources. For example, the user may reassign a resource when the resource is unavailable, or when there are delays or in cases of emergency.

The method may communicate (409) with the one or more human personnel via the communication function of their mobile device and monitor the status information of the mobile devices in real time.

The method may additionally escalate (410) an issue with a planned or active journey service that requires action.

Referring to Figure 5, a block diagram (500) shows further components of an example embodiment of an operations platform (112). The operations platform (112) may be supported by a server (110) that may include a processor (502) for executing the functions of components described below, which may be provided by hardware or by software units executing on the server (110). The software units may be stored in a memory component (504) and instructions may be provided to the processor (502) to carry out the functionality of the described components. In some cases, for example in a cloud computing implementation, software units arranged to manage and/or process data on behalf of the server (110) may be provided remotely.

The operations platform (112) may include the journey planning system (310) as described above that may include the following components. A request receiving component (510) may be provided and arranged for receiving a request for a journey service including details of a journey start point and end point, a planned journey time, and one or more passengers. A planning component (512) may be provided and arranged for planning the journey service at the operations platform (112). A scheduling component (514) may be provided for scheduling the journey service. A route planning component (516) may be provided for planning a route for the journey using a mapping user interface (532) at the operations platform (112). A resource allocation component (518) may be provided for allocating resources with assigned roles. A service activation component (520) may be provided for activating the scheduled journey service as an active journey service including live location monitoring at the operations platform (112) of the one or more passengers and of the allocated resources using a live mapping user interface (534).

The operations platform (112) may include a live journey monitoring system (320) as described above including a resource coordination component (522) for coordinating resources during an active journey service including reassigning roles of resources during the active journey based on live tracking feedback and communication with the allocated resources and based on communication and tracking of other available resources.

The communicating component (334) may be used for communicating during an active journey service with the allocated resources in the form of one or more human personnel via the communication function of their mobile device, and including monitoring status information of the mobile devices.

The operations platform (112) may include an escalating component (526) for escalating an issue with a planned or active journey service that requires action including status and alert notifications.

The operations platform (112) may include an integrating component (332) as described above for integrating the operations platform with an external service platform including sharing user interfaces of the operations platform including live mapping user interface and resource communication interfaces.

The operations platform (112) may include a user interface (114) including the mapping user interface (532) for planning a route for the journey and the live mapping user interface (534) for live location monitoring during an active journey service including: icons for live tracking of the allocated resources using the location tracking functions of the resources including the human personnel and the physical assets; and icons for live tracking of the one or more passengers using the location tracking function of the passenger mobile device.

The user interface (112) may include a resource communication interface (536) for displaying communication information of each allocated resource's mobile device and providing direct communication with each allocated resource's mobile device.

The user interface (112) may include a resource coordinating interface (538) for displaying status information of each allocated resource's mobile device and other available resource's mobile devices, and status information for each physical asset.

The user interface (112) may also include a dashboard interface (540) providing interaction with: incoming journey service requests; scheduled journey service requests; and active service requests.

Referring to Figure 6, an example embodiment of a user interface (114) of the operations platform (112). In this example, a menu interface (610) is shown for selecting a display of a dashboard option (611), an inbox option (612), a planning option (613), an escalation option (614), and a reports option (615). These menu options provide selection of different displays.

The dashboard interface (620) is shown for providing interaction with incoming journey service requests, scheduled journey service requests, and active service requests. The dashboard interface may include several information tabs that the user can select to view, filter, and action the journey request. This may include a new journey request tab (621) for incoming journey service requests, a scheduled today tab (622) for journey service requests planned on the current day, a scheduled future tab (623) for journey service requests planned to take place on a date beyond the current day, and an escalation tab (624) for elevating or raising an issue or concern to a higher level of authority or responsibility for resolution when standard procedures or responses are insufficient.

For example, in the present embodiment there are three new journey service requests, eight journey service requests scheduled for the current day, twelve journey service requests planned to take place on a date beyond the current day and three escalations. The dashboard interface may further include a support interface (630), where journey service requests, notifications, or related tasks are received, organized, and can be accessed for review and action by authorized users.

The user interface may include a digital request form where the user may request a journey service. This may be provided to an end user via a client portal. The request details may include information and specifics related to the request being made, such as the purpose, urgency, or specific requirements of the request. A request may capture comprehensive information about a passenger's itinerary and requirements for a specific journey, including personal details, travel dates, flight information, accommodation arrangements, and any additional needs or requests related to the journey. The request may provide a name, contact details of an individual or entity submitting a request for a journey or a service, a project name or description and a service provider region for managing the journey service. The request may provide passenger information of one or more passengers including names, contact information, identification, and any relevant travel documentation and details of the journey including dates and times, and accommodation arrangements. The request may provide details of the journey service it requires including journey start and end points, security resources for specifying one or more human personnel as security during the journey service. Service information may include information about the services requested or required for the journey, which may include security services, transportation, or any other services essential for the travellers' safety and convenience. For example, the user may provide comprehensive information outlining the specific security-related services that have been requested to ensure the safety and security of a journey or travel plan. This may encompass details such as the type of security services required, the number of security personnel needed, any specialized equipment or resources, and any additional security-related instructions or requirements.

The user interface (114) may include a journey support inbox (612) in the form of a designated electronic space or interface within a system or application where journey support requests, notifications, or related tasks are received, organized, and can be accessed for review and action by authorized users.

Once completed, the digital request form is submitted, and the information is transmitted to the operations platform (112) and displayed on the dashboard interface (620) for further processing and action. The dashboard interface (620) serves as the central hub where the journey support request can be efficiently processed and actioned from the journey support inbox (612). The use of the operations platform may then start to action the request using an actions tab in the user interface (114).

The user interface (114) may also show a summary (630) of scheduled journey services with each service showing service request information including the client, the allocated resource and asset statuses, the journey pickup location, the pickup date and time, the operation status, and the journey status. Any escalations are shown in the summary (630). For example, an allocated resource is unavailable sue to sickness (631) and therefore the operation status is escalated as a replacement needs to be actioned. In another example, a flight arrival is delayed (632) and the operation status shows that the resources have been briefed.

The journey support planning process may be prompted via the user interface via processes.

After each process, a user interface alert, such as a pop-up block, may appear showing the process updating and an opportunity to add additional notes. The processes may include: a risk plan process, a threat assessment, a plan compiled, a manager review, etc. As the processes are completed the "state" of the service may change.

Referring to Figure 7, the user interface (114) of the operating platform may include a mapping user interface (1110) for planning a route for the journey. The user may, using the mapping user interface (1110) or other inputs to the user interface, plan a route for the journey service. The planned route may be viewed on the mapping user interface or using geographical information. The mapping user interface (1110) may include a planned route (1111) in graphical form using mapping functionality of integrated or third-party services. The mapping user interface (1110) may include a journey service identifier (1112) to identify the service in relation to a route plotted using the mapping user interface (1110). A service information input (1113) may be provided and input controls (1114, 715) for planning and actioning the service.

The journey support planning may include assessing the risk and threat associated with the journey and allocate resources to the journey request based on the location of the resources and add additional notes if necessary. The resources may include one or more human resource personnel and physical resource assets which may be selected from a list of available resources and the user may assign a role to the selected resource.

A service planner window of the user interface may be provided where the user can allocate resources to this journey request. This may include selecting one or more human personnel resource from a list of available personnel and assign roles to selected personnel. This may also include selecting physical asset personnel (for example, vehicles or other assets) and assign roles to the assets.

For example, in an example embodiment there may four human personnel to select from, namely, Joe Black, John Doe, James Jones and JC Green and they may be assigned roles including a commander, a chief protection officer, and a security driver. The resources may also include one or more physical assets such as one or more vehicles and these may be assigned roles including a principal vehicle, a back-up vehicle or a lead vehicle. The user may view the statuses of each resource including the availability of a resource in the form of one or more human personnel, its distance from a passenger, when last the resource was active and/or a status information of a mobile device of the resource such as battery percentage of the mobile device.

Once the journey is successfully scheduled, the user may activate or action the journey service. If the journey service is scheduled to take place on a date beyond the current day, it may be moved under the scheduled future tab. If the journey service is scheduled for the current day, it may then be displayed as an active journey service on the live mapping user interface at the operations platform.

A response service action user interface display may also be provided where the planned journey is put into action, coordinating the necessary services and resources to ensure a safe and efficient journey support process. Journey support information may be displayed for the user with an action button that the user can select to action the request. A comments section is also provided for the user wish to add any notes/comments or feedback. A status indication may changes in the user interface as the different steps in this process are handled.

Referring to Figure 8, once a journey service request has been scheduled, it may be activated as an active journey service and the mapping user interface may be displayed as a live mapping user interface (810) for live location monitoring including display of icons for live tracking of the allocated resources (811) and for live tracking of the one or more passengers (812).

In case of an incident with an active journey service, the live mapping user interface (810) may provide a visual representation and offer an immediate understanding, allowing users to plan routes to the incident site or the passenger involved. It may also assist the human personnel in reaching the location quickly and accurately. The live mapping user interface (810) provides locations of all active resources (811) in real time and helps the user understand the distribution of available resources and make informed deployment decisions. The user may additionally zoom in and out of the live mapping user interfaces to focus on specific areas. Satellite imagery may also offer detailed overhead views of locations, aiding in landscape and landmark recognition.

An alert location display may use the live mapping user interface (810) to display the precise location from which an alert was triggered. This visual representation offers an immediate understanding of the incident's geographic context. Navigation assistance may use navigation functionality of the mapping user interface allowing users to plan routes to the incident site or the individual involved. This feature assists resources (811) or other responders in reaching the location quickly and accurately. Active resource visibility is provided as the live mapping user interfaces the locations of all active resources. This real-time visual representation helps users understand the distribution of available resources and make informed deployment decisions.

Different display options may be provided and selected for the live mapping user interface (810). Zoom and satellite imagery may be available in the live mapping user interface (810) so that users can zoom in and out of the map to focus on specific areas. Satellite imagery offers detailed overhead views of locations, aiding in landscape and landmark recognition. Conventional map layout may also be provided for the mapping interface and display to adopts a clear and user-friendly layout, ensuring ease of interpretation and navigation. A street view feature may enable 360-degree panoramic street-level imagery. This tool virtually guides users through streets, enhancing situational awareness.

A live communication user interface (820) may be provided for live communication with resources (821) via the resource application and with passengers (822) via the passenger application.

A live status information user interface (830) may be provided to view details of the resources with human resource status display (831) and an asset resource status display (832). The status information may include one or more of the following: Resource name; Status -Current status of resource (what they are currently busy with); Distance Away -Current distance away from passenger; Response Radius -This helps to see if the resource is within a response radius; Battery Percentage -How full the Resource's mobile device battery is; Last Seen -When last the resource was active on the resource application; Actions -to action or recall a resource.

An emergency user interface (840) may be provided. The emergency user interface (840) may include an additional resource allocation component (841) for allocating additional resources to the emergency. The live status information user interface (830) may be adapted to show other available non-allocated resources and their availably in real time. The emergency user interface (840) may include a service provider activation component (842) for activation of a service provider platform using the integration and live sharing of the user interfaces and information. This may include live sharing of the live communication user interface (820) to allow direct in application communication with the resources and/or passenger without a delay of transferring contact information.

When a resource has been allocated to an alert or emergency, the user can then follow the resource on the map or engage in communication to relay information. In the event of an emergency and escalation, the user may wait for the resource's feedback before he can complete or escalate a response service. The operation platform may enable the user go back to the journey support inbox and action other journey requests.

A state history user interface may also be provided to display updates on an alert or emergency progress as it is being handled. The following may be provided: The "Date" column provides a timestamp for each state change in the alert's history. This allows a user to track the chronological sequence of events and responses.

The "State" column captures the current status of the alert. This status evolves as the alert progresses through different stages. These stages can include "open," "picked up," "awaiting responder confirmation," "responding," "image taken," and "awaiting completion.".

The "Message" field describes the specific state the alert is in. This provides a concise description of the ongoing action or situation related to the alert.

The "Initiator Client" indicates the entity to whom the client belongs. This information helps the user to understand the context of the alert and who is involved.

The "Initiator" represents the individual responsible for the current state change. Initially, it could refer to the client who triggered the alert. As the alert progresses, the initiator may change to the controller handling the alert and eventually to the individual who closed the alert.

Once a journey support has been completed by each resource including any alert or emergency, the status is updated in the operations platform. The operations platform may confirm if the correct steps have been taken and make a decision to complete or redirect the service. A "Complete" button may be utilized to close an alarm after all necessary steps have been executed and the resources are standing down.

Referring to Figure 9, a resource mobile device (900) is shown with a resource application user interface (910). A scheduled journey service (920) may further be displayed on the resource application user interface (910). The resource application user interface (910) may include a navigation input button (921) to navigate according to the details of the service using a mapping user interface (912) of the mobile device (900). The resource application user interface (910) may include a camera button (922) to directly activate a camera to provide a live video feed or still image to the operations platform via the resource application. The resource application user interface (910) may include a chat button (923) to directly activate a communication with the operations platform via the resource application. The resource application user interface (910) may include a complete input button (924) to inform the operations platform of the completion of the service. The resource application user interface (910) may include a re-assign input button (925) to inform the operations platform of the inability of the resource to complete the service and therefore require re-assignment of the service to another resource. The resource application user interface (910) may include an alert input button (931) to inform the operations platform of the an emergency during the service. The resource application user interface (910) may include a backup input button (932) to inform the operations platform of the need for additional resources during the service.

The one or more human resource personnel may accept a service request or suggests the request be reassigned. Once accepted, the human personnel may navigate towards the passenger at the scheduled time. If the human resource personnel suggests the request be reassigned, the user at the operations platform may reassign the request to another human resource personnel. The user may also communicate with the human personnel via the communication function of their mobile device and monitor the status information of the mobile devices in real time. If the user does not receive feedback from the human personnel, the user may escalate the request, to raise an issue or concern to a higher level of authority or responsibility.

The operations platform may be provided as a cloud service as well as those of contracted service provider platforms. Load balancing may be used to ensure that platforms can scale up or out. The load balancing may be set up to scale automatically by increasing system resources such as processors, memory and network capacity (scale up), or by initiating another instance of the environment (scale out).

Sensitive information of the operations platform is stored and backed up in encrypted form. System endpoints on the operation platform that encrypt traffic (HTTPS) are used to secure data 15 transmission.

Figure 10 shows an example of an environment in which the described operations platform (112) may be implemented using a cloud environment (1000). The cloud environment (112) may include operations platform code (1002), runtime support (1004), and third party services (1006).

The cloud environment (1000) includes background worker processes (1020) with data stores (1022). The cloud environment (1000) includes application programming interfaces (1011) for mobile applications (1040) and web application hosting (1010) for an operational web portal (1032) for a web browser (1030). Reporting and analytics (1012) may be provided to the operational web portal (1032) from the data stores (1022). Runtime support (1004) may be provided from the cloud environment (1000) to the mobile applications (1040) and browser (1030).

Third party services (1006, 1046, 1036)) may be coordinated in the cloud environment (1000), mobile applications (1040), and operational web portal (1032). Further details of these components are provided below.

The cloud environment (1000) may support third party services (1006). The third party services (1006) may include mapping and navigation services. The third party services (1006) may include messaging channels (for example, for short message service, emails, chat instant messages, etc.).

The cloud environment (1000) may provide runtime support (1004). The runtime support (1004) may include logging, tracing and instrumentation components for diagnostics and operational insight. The runtime support (1004) may include authentication systems that support email and phone numbers, multifactor authentication, and mapping users to organisations and roles as assigned. The runtime support (1004) may include usable by mobile applications (1040), browsers (1030), and programmatic interfaces.

The cloud environment (1000) may provide Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) (1011). Layers of programmatic services are provided that can be used by mobile applications, websites, and any external party to read and write data or make requests for a business or operation process to run on the operations platform (112).

The cloud environment (1000) may provide web application hosting (1010). The web application hosting (1010) may include runtime support (1004). The runtime support (1004) may include logging, tracing, and other instrumentation for fault-finding and diagnostics. The runtime support (1004) may an authentication model. The runtime support (1004) may include an API access model.

The web application hosting (1010) may include operational platform code (1002) for the operational web portal (1032) that may include some or all of the following: a website navigation model; code for hosting of user interfaces; code for interaction with data stores and coordinating the flow of data between user interfaces and databases; coordination of workflows and managing the state of journey requests across the security company's staff (risk assessment, travel information capture, approval chains, etc.); operational dashboard view of all jobs; operational dashboard view of all requests from travellers. The operational platform code (1002) may further include some or all of: administrative features and functions to configure runtime characteristics of the system, perform customer setup and maintenance tasks, manage interactions with the APIs (1011) to store and retrieve data and schedule background tasks; manage integration of items included in runtime support (1004), and manage integration of items included in third party services (1006).

The web application hosting (1010) may include third party services (1006) including, for example, web support libraries and mapping and navigation services.

The cloud environment (1000) may include reporting and analytics 1012 that configure and run scheduled data exports and user reports for operational staff. The reporting and analytics 1012 may allow ad hoc user reports on data available in the system.

The cloud environment (1000) may include data stores (1022) that may define a domain model that represents the solution space in terms of security responses, asset management, scheduling, events, customers, travellers, etc. The data stores (1022) may provide for data redundancy of customer data, system data, and configuration by setting up and managing backups, data partitioning strategies. The data stores (1022) may host a data store that can scale to increased system load without intervention.

The cloud environment (1000) may include background worker processes (1020) that may support the periodic data maintenance and clean-up tasks. The background worker processes (1020) may host ambient application logic not easily serviced in web apps or mobile applications. The background worker processes (1020) may support fault-tolerant integrations to external parties by queueing data updates redundantly and reliably.

The mobile applications (1040) for the resources or travellers may provide code (1042) to generate the functional user interfaces and features described. The mobile application code (1042) may allow the application to work in environments with limited or no connectivity for periods of time without impacting the user experience or features. Operations may be queued or data cached locally and then synchronised when connections are established.

The mobile applications (1040) may have some or all of the following features: access to native application runtimes on hardware devices through operating systems; application store compliance procedures; device hardware integration (power, sensors, etc...); logging, tracing and other instrumentation for fault-finding and diagnostics; authentication model; API access model; a model to allow for rapid white labelling of the application to new customers without significant changes required on the codebase or deployment strategy; and prompt users to update their applications should it become out of date and present risks to operations.

The mobile application code (1042) may allow integration with third party services (1046) including mapping and navigation services, and device hardware integration (power, sensors, etc.).

The operational web portal (1032) provided on a browser (1030) may include third party services (1036) for mapping and navigation services, and for open source client-side libraries for integration with the operations platform (112) backend.

Figure 11 illustrates an example of a computing device (1100) in which various aspects of the disclosure may be implemented including the operations platform, the service provider platforms, and the mobile devices. The computing device (1100) may be embodied as any form of data processing device including a personal computing device (e.g. laptop or desktop computer), a server computer (which may be self-contained, physically distributed over a number of locations), a client computer, or a communication device, such as a mobile phone (e.g. cellular telephone), satellite phone, tablet computer, personal digital assistant or the like. Different embodiments of the computing device may dictate the inclusion or exclusion of various components or subsystems described below.

The computing device (1100) may be suitable for storing and executing computer program code. The various participants and elements in the previously described system diagrams may use any suitable number of subsystems or components of the computing device (1100) to facilitate the functions described herein. The computing device (1100) may include subsystems or components interconnected via a communication infrastructure (1105) (for example, a communications bus, a network, etc.). The computing device (1100) may include one or more processors (1110) and at least one memory component in the form of computer-readable media. The one or more processors (1110) may include one or more of: CPUs, graphical processing units (GPUs), microprocessors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA5), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and the like. In some configurations, a number of processors may be provided and may be arranged to carry out calculations simultaneously. In some implementations various subsystems or components of the computing device (1100) may be distributed over a number of physical locations (e.g. in a distributed, cluster or cloud-based computing configuration) and appropriate software units may be arranged to manage and/or process data on behalf of remote devices.

The memory components may include system memory (1115), which may include read only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). A basic input/output system (BIOS) may be stored in ROM. System software may be stored in the system memory (1115) including operating system software. The memory components may also include secondary memory (1120). The secondary memory (1120) may include a fixed disk (1121), such as a hard disk drive, and, optionally, one or more storage interfaces (1122) for interfacing with storage components (1123), such as removable storage components (e.g. magnetic tape, optical disk, flash memory drive, external hard drive, removable memory chip, etc.), network attached storage components (e.g. NAS drives), remote storage components (e.g. cloud-based storage) or the like.

The computing device (1100) may include an external communications interface (1130) for operation of the computing device (1100) in a networked environment enabling transfer of data between multiple computing devices (1100) and/or the Internet. Data transferred via the external communications interface (1130) may be in the form of signals, which may be electronic, electromagnetic, optical, radio, or other types of signal. The external communications interface (1130) may enable communication of data between the computing device (1100) and other computing devices including servers and external storage facilities. Web services may be accessible by and/or from the computing device (1100) via the communications interface (1130).

The external communications interface (1130) may be configured for connection to wireless communication channels (e.g., a cellular telephone network, wireless local area network (e.g. using Wi-FiTm), satellite-phone network, Satellite Internet Network, etc.) and may include an associated wireless transfer element, such as an antenna and associated circuitry. The external communications interface (1130) may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) in the form of an integrated circuit that stores an international mobile subscriber identity and the related key used to identify and authenticate a subscriber using the computing device (1100). One or more subscriber identity modules may be removable from or embedded in the computing device (1100).

The computer-readable media in the form of the various memory components may provide storage of computer-executable instructions, data structures, program modules, software units and other data. A computer program product may be provided by a computer-readable medium having stored computer-readable program code executable by the central processor (1110). A computer program product may be provided by a non-transient computer-readable medium or may be provided via a signal or other transient means via the communications interface (1130).

Interconnection via the communication infrastructure (1105) allows the one or more processors (1110) to communicate with each subsystem or component and to control the execution of instructions from the memory components, as well as the exchange of information between subsystems or components. Peripherals (such as printers, scanners, cameras, or the like) and input/output (I/O) devices (such as a mouse, touchpad, keyboard, microphone, touch-sensitive display, input buttons, speakers and the like) may couple to or be integrally formed with the computing device (1100) either directly or via an I/O controller (1135). One or more displays (1145) (which may be touch-sensitive displays) may be coupled to or integrally formed with the computing device (1100) via a display (1145) or video adapter (1140).

The computing device (1100) may include a geographical location element (1155) which is arranged to determine the geographical location of the computing device (1100). The geographical location element (1155) may for example be implemented by way of a global positioning system (GPS), or similar, receiver module. In some implementations the geographical location element (1155) may implement an indoor positioning system, using for example communication channels such as cellular telephone or Wi-FiTM networks and/or beacons to determine or approximate the geographical location of the computing device (1100). In some implementations, the geographical location element (1155) may implement inertial navigation to track and determine the geographical location of the communication device using an initial set point and inertial measurement data.

The foregoing description has been presented for the purpose of illustration; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Persons skilled in the relevant art can appreciate that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure.

Any of the steps, operations, components or processes described herein may be performed or implemented with one or more hardware or software units, alone or in combination with other devices. In one embodiment, a software unit is implemented with a computer program product comprising a non-transient computer-readable medium containing computer program code, which can be executed by a processor for performing any or all of the steps, operations, or processes described. Software units or functions described in this application may be implemented as computer program code using any suitable computer language such as, for example, JavaTM^ C++, or PerITM using, for example, conventional or object-oriented techniques. The computer program code may be stored as a series of instructions, or commands on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a magnetic medium such as a hard-drive, or an optical medium such as a CD-ROM. Any such computer-readable medium may also reside on or within a single computational apparatus, and may be present on or within different computational apparatuses within a system or network.

Flowchart illustrations and block diagrams of methods, systems, and computer program products according to embodiments are used herein. Each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, may provide functions which may be implemented by computer readable program instructions. In some alternative implementations, the functions identified by the blocks may take place in a different order to that shown in the flowchart illustrations.

Some portions of this description describe the embodiments of the invention in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on information. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are commonly used by those skilled in the data processing arts to convey the substance of their work effectively to others skilled in the art. These operations, while described functionally, computationally, or logically, are understood to be implemented by computer programs or equivalent electrical circuits, microcode, or the like. The described operations may be embodied in software, firmware, hardware, or any combinations thereof.

The language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

Finally, throughout the specification and claims unless the contents requires otherwise the word comprise' or variations such as 'comprises' or 'comprising' will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A computer-implemented method for journey support, comprising: receiving at an operations platform, a request for a journey service including details of a journey start point and end point, a planned journey time, and one or more passengers; planning the journey service at the operations platform including: scheduling the journey service; planning a route for the journey using a mapping user interface at the operations platform; and allocating resources with assigned roles, wherein the resources include one or more human personnel, each having a mobile device including a communication function and a location tracking function, and wherein the resources include one or more physical assets each having a location tracking function; and activating the scheduled journey service as an active journey service including live location monitoring at the operations platform of the one or more passengers at least one having a mobile device including a communication function and a location tracking function, and live location monitoring of the allocated resources.
2. The method of claim 1, including: coordinating resources during an active journey service including reassigning roles of resources during the active journey based on live tracking feedback and communication with the allocated resources and based on communication and tracking of other available resources.
3. The method of claim 1 or claim 2, including: communicating during an active journey service with the allocated resources in the form of one or more human personnel via the communication function of their mobile device, and including monitoring status information of the mobile devices.
4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, including: escalating an issue with a planned or active journey service that requires action including status and alert notifications.
5. The method of any one of the preceding claims, including: providing a user interface of the operation platform including: a mapping user interface for planning a route for the journey; and a live mapping user interface for live location monitoring during an active journey service including: display of icons for live tracking of the allocated resources using the location tracking functions of the resources including the human personnel and the physical assets; and display of icons for live tracking of the one or more passengers using the location tracking function of the passenger mobile device.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein providing a user interface of the operation platform includes: a resource communication interface for displaying status information of each allocated resource's mobile device and direct communication with each allocated resource's mobile device.
7. The method of claim 5 or claim 6, wherein providing a user interface of the operation platform includes: a resource coordinating interface for displaying status information of each allocated resource's mobile device and other available resource's mobile devices, and status information for each physical asset.
8. The method of any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein providing a user interface of the operation platform includes: a dashboard interface providing interaction with: incoming journey service requests; scheduled journey service requests; and active service requests.
9. The method of any one of the preceding claims, including: providing a resource application for a resource's mobile device in communication with the operations platform, wherein the resource application includes: a location tracking function; a communication function including direct in-application messaging and call functionality; a camera accessing function for direct in-application image providing; and a monitoring function for providing status information of the mobile device to the operations platform.
10. The method of any one of the preceding claims, including: providing a passenger application for a passenger's mobile device in communication with the operations platform, wherein the passenger application includes: a location tracking function; a communication function including direct in-application messaging and call functionality; a camera accessing function for direct in-application image providing; and a monitoring function for providing status information of the mobile device to the operations platform.
11. The method of any one of the preceding claims, including integrating the operations platform with an external service platform including: sharing user interfaces of the operations platform including live mapping user interface and resource communication interfaces.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein an external service platform is provided in a different geographical area to the operations platform.
13. The method of claim 11 or claim 12, wherein an external service platform is an emergency services platform.
14. A system for journey support including: an operations platform having a memory for storing computer-readable program code and a processor for executing the computer-readable program code, the operations platform, 25 comprising: a request receiving component for receiving a request for a journey service including details of a journey start point and end point, a planned journey time, and one or more passengers; a planning component for planning the journey service at the operations platform including: a scheduling component for scheduling the journey service; a route planning component for planning a route for the journey using a mapping user interface at the operations platform; and a resource allocation component for allocating resources with assigned roles, wherein the resources include one or more human personnel, each having a mobile device including a communication function and a location tracking function, and wherein the resources include one or more physical assets each having a location tracking function; and a service activation component for activating the scheduled journey service as an active journey service including live location monitoring at the operations platform of the one or more passengers at least one having a mobile device including a communication function and a location tracking function, and live location monitoring of the allocated resources.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the operations platform includes: a resource coordination component for coordinating resources during an active journey service including reassigning roles of resources during the active journey based on live tracking feedback and communication with the allocated resources and based on communication and tracking of other available resources.
16. The system of claim 14 or claim 15, wherein the operations platform includes: a communicating component for communicating during an active journey service with the allocated resources in the form of one or more human personnel via the communication function of their mobile device, and including monitoring status information of the mobile devices.
17. The system of any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the operations platform includes: an escalating component for escalating an issue with a planned or active journey service that requires action including status and alert notifications.
18. The system of any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the operations platform includes: an integrating component for integrating the operations platform with an external service platform including sharing user interfaces of the operations platform including live mapping user interface and resource communication interfaces.
19. The system of any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the operations platform includes: a user interface including: a mapping user interface for planning a route for the journey; and a live mapping user interface for live location monitoring during an active journey service including: icons for live tracking of the allocated resources using the location tracking functions of the resources including the human personnel and the physical assets; and icons for live tracking of the one or more passengers using the location tracking function of the passenger mobile device.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein the user interface includes: a resource communication interface for displaying communication information of each allocated resource's mobile device and providing direct communication with each allocated resource's mobile device.
21. The system of claim 19 or claim 20, wherein the user interface includes: a resource coordinating interface for displaying status information of each allocated resource's mobile device and other available resource's mobile devices, and status information for each physical asset.
22. The system of any one of claims 19 to 21, wherein the user interface includes: a dashboard interface providing interaction with: incoming journey service requests; scheduled journey service requests; and active service requests.
23. The system of any one of claims 14 to 22, including: a resource mobile device having a resource application in communication with the operations platform, wherein the resource application includes: a location tracking function; a communication function including direct in-application messaging and call functionality; a camera accessing function for direct in-application image providing; and a monitoring function for providing status information of the mobile device to the operations platform.
24. The system of any one of claims 14 to 23, including: a passenger mobile device having a passenger application in communication with the operations platform, wherein the passenger application includes: a location tracking function; a communication function including direct in-application messaging and call functionality; a camera accessing function for direct in-application image providing; and a monitoring function for providing status information of the mobile device to the operations platform.
25. A computer program product for journey support comprising a computer-readable medium having stored computer-readable program code for performing the steps of any one of claims 1 to 13.