Skopje Bus Tracker

Real-time bus tracking for Skopje public transport. Modular system supporting any stop and route.

Quick Start

npm install
npm run setup-gtfs  # Download latest GTFS data
npm run web

Open http://localhost:3000

Visit http://localhost:3000/analytics.html for historical data and performance analytics.

TimescaleDB Setup

The application uses TimescaleDB for storing time-series data (vehicle positions, arrivals, delays).

Start the database:

cd infrastructure
docker compose up -d

Configure environment:

Create a .env file (or use the defaults):

POSTGRES_HOST=localhost
POSTGRES_PORT=5432
POSTGRES_DB=iot_data
POSTGRES_USER=postgres
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=example

The database will automatically:

• Create hypertables for efficient time-series queries
• Set up compression and retention policies (90 days)
• Build continuous aggregates for hourly metrics
• Index data for fast queries

Analytics Features:

• Vehicle Position History: Track individual buses over time
• Delay Analysis: On-time performance, average delays, patterns
• Hourly Patterns: See when buses are typically late/early
• Route Statistics: Reliability scores, service quality metrics
• Stop Performance: Compare delays across different stops

Background Tracker:

For continuous data collection without keeping the web interface open:

npm run track

This automatically tracks these popular routes every 30 seconds:

• Routes: 2, 4, 5, 7, 15, 21, 22, 24
• Private routes: 12П, 19П, 22П, 45П, 52П, 54П, 61П, 9П

Data is stored in TimescaleDB for historical analysis. The tracker runs indefinitely until stopped with Ctrl+C.

Features

• Fully Modular Web Interface: Select any stop and route via UI controls or URL parameters
• Dynamic Tracking: Change stops/routes without restarting the server
• Interactive map with live vehicle positions
• Real-time arrivals with delays
• Time-Series Data Storage: Historical tracking with TimescaleDB
• Analytics Dashboard: Delay statistics, hourly patterns, performance metrics
• 5-second auto-refresh (web), 10-second (terminal)
• CLI arguments for terminal tracker
• Configurable defaults via config.ts
• Shareable URLs with stop/route parameters

Commands

npm run setup-gtfs         # Download GTFS data
npm run find -- --stop "american"  # Find stop IDs by name
npm run find -- --route "7"        # Find route IDs by number/name
npm run web                # Web interface at http://localhost:3000
npm run tracker            # Terminal interface (default)
npm run tracker -- --stop 1571 --route 125  # Custom stop/route
npm run track              # Background tracker for popular routes (30s intervals)
npm start                  # Same as web

Finding Stop and Route IDs

Not sure which Stop ID or Route ID to use? Use the find command:

# Find stops by name (case-insensitive)
npm run find -- --stop "american"
npm run find -- --stop "центар"

# Find routes by number or name
npm run find -- --route "7"
npm run find -- --route "линија"

Web Interface Usage

1. Default tracking: Open http://localhost:3000 (loads default stop/route, can be changed in UI)
2. Direct URL: http://localhost:3000?stopId=1571&routeId=125 (bookmarkable)
3. Change tracking: Use the controls at the top to enter different Stop ID and Route ID
4. Share: Copy URL after selecting a stop/route to share with others

CLI Arguments

Terminal tracker supports custom stop and route:

npm run tracker -- --stop <stopId> --route <routeId>
npm run tracker -- --help

API Endpoints

This Application's API:

• Complete docs: API-DOCUMENTATION.md
• Interactive docs: http://localhost:3000/api-docs.html (when server is running)
• OpenAPI spec: openapi.yaml

Upstream ModeShift GTFS API:

• Documentation: UPSTREAM-API-DOCUMENTATION.md
• Provider: ModeShift (Skopje public transport data)

Quick Reference

Query parameters for custom tracking:

GET /api/config?stopId=1571&routeId=125
GET /api/arrivals?stopId=1571&routeId=125
GET /api/vehicles?routeId=125
GET /api/stops                              # All stops
GET /api/routes                             # All routes

# Historical Data APIs
GET /api/stats/db                           # Database statistics
GET /api/history/vehicle/:vehicleId?hours=24
GET /api/history/route/:routeId/vehicles?hours=24
GET /api/history/stop/:stopId/arrivals?routeId=125&hours=24
GET /api/stats/route/:routeId/delays?hours=24
GET /api/stats/stop/:stopId/delays?hours=24
GET /api/stats/route/:routeId/hourly?days=7

Configuration

Edit config.ts to set defaults:

export const config: AppConfig = {
  defaultStop: {
    stopId: '1571',
    name: 'АМЕРИКАН КОЛЕЏ-КОН ЦЕНТАР',
    lat: 41.98057556152344,
    lon: 21.457794189453125,
  },
  defaultRoute: {
    routeId: '125',
    shortName: '7',
    name: 'ЛИНИЈА 7',
  },
  server: {
    port: 3000,
  },
  tracking: {
    refreshInterval: {
      web: 5000,     // 5 seconds
      terminal: 10000, // 10 seconds
    },
    minutesAhead: 90,
  }, + analytics)
├── bus-tracker-json.ts   # Terminal tracker (CLI args)
├── lib/
│   ├── gtfs.ts           # GTFS loader
│   └── database.ts       # TimescaleDB time-series storage
├── public/
│   ├── index.html        # Live tracker UI
│   └── analytics.html    # Analytics dashboard
├── infrastructure/
│   └── compose.yml       # TimescaleDB Docker setup
└── gtfs/ ure

bus/ ├── config.ts # Configuration (stops, routes, timing) ├── setup-gtfs.ts # GTFS data downloader ├── find-stops-routes.ts # Helper to find Stop/Route IDs ├── server.ts # Web server (modular API) ├── bus-tracker-json.ts # Terminal tracker (CLI args) ├── lib/gtfs.ts # GTFS loader ├── public/index.html # Frontend (modular UI) └─TimescaleDB (PostgreSQL) for time-series data

• Leaflet.js + OpenStreetMap
• Chart.js for analytics visualizations
• GTFS + GTFS-RT Protocol Buffers
• Docker Compose for database

Stack

• Node.js + Express + TypeScript
• Leaflet.js + OpenStreetMap
• GTFS + GTFS-RT Protocol Buffers

License

MIT