Blackboard Mobile Central Adds Transit Info Partner to Platform

  • By Kevin Hudson
  • 02/28/13

Transit information available on the Blackboard Mobile Central application has been enhanced through a partnership with TransLoc, a company that specializes in providing real-time information for transportation systems.

The partnership comes via the Blackboard Partnerships Program, which enables the platform's commercial partners to develop and integrate mobile applications into the existing Mobile Central springboard using the Blackboard Mobile software development kit.

This more open approach is a change for Blackboard, which had previously offered the software development kit to Blackboard Mobile Central clients only.

"This unique, vibrant community of developers allows institutions to customize their Blackboard Mobile Central platform, and gives them great flexibility in how they improve and shape on-demand access to everything happening on campus," said Ted Hopper, vice president of business development at Blackboard.

TransLoc is no stranger to the world of higher education and the transit information needs of students and campus transit administrators, with the University of Chicago, Yale University, and the University of Alabama already among the transit systems for which it provides information services.

"TransLoc has been a trusted partner of the University of Alabama's Crimson Ride since its inception," said Ronnie Robertson, director of transportation services at University of Alabama. "We're excited that their new partnership with Blackboard Mobile, the provider of UA's mobile apps, will allow even more campus users to access real-time bus location information and announcements from within our mobile app."

TransLoc was founded in 2004 and provides riders and administrators in university, municipal, federal, corporate, and airport transit systems with information services.

About the Author

Kevin Hudson is a freelance journalist based in Portland, Oregon. He can be reached at [email protected].

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