About | Halfway Pint
About Halfway Pint
Halfway Pint finds optimal meeting points between two locations in London. Enter two addresses (or click on the map) and transport modes, and the system calculates venues that minimise travel time for both people.
The system supports asymmetric transport modes - for example, one person can walk while another uses public transport. All calculations are performed in real-time using current transport schedules and conditions.
How it works
- Input locations: Choose two starting addresses or postcodes in London
- Choose transport: Select walking, cycling, public transport, or driving for each person (driving is not really implimented properly - this is London)
- Algorithm selection: The system uses one of several algorithms to calculate an optimal meeting point, but there are some choices the user can make in the advanced search options
- Venue search: Finds nearby pubs, restaurants, cafes, etc. within the specified search radius
- Route calculation: Calculates travel times from both origins to each venue
- Results ranking: Venues are ranked by fairness (minimising time difference between travelers)
Technical details
- Coverage: Optimised for Greater London with UK/Ireland fallback coverage
- Transport data: Uses Transport for OpenTripPlanner, TFL API, and a custom transport matrix for routing
- Venue data: Sourced from OpenStreetMap and UK Food Standards Agency
- Time-aware routing: Accounts for time of day and day of week variations in public transport
- Learning: Uses data from previous searches to develop an understanding of transport times across London
Search modes
- Fast Search: Quick geometric calculation with transport speed adjustments
- Accurate Results: Combines multiple optimisation methods for better meeting points
- Detailed Analysis: Comprehensive venue accessibility optimisation (slower but thorough)
This project was born out of a 'need' (maybe a thirst) many years ago, and was developed as an experiment.
Feedback
Have questions, suggestions, or issues with the service? Get in touch: