Method and apparatus for the collection, formatting, dissemination, and display of travel-related information on a low-cost display bank

A low-cost display bank that displays travel-related information in a public travel-related area, comprising:

• one or more slave low-cost display units that display travel-related information;
• and
• a master low-cost display unit that displays travel-related information, comprising:
• a communication interface that facilitates receiving of travel information by the master low-cost display unit;
• and
• a display bank control unit that
• sends identification information to a display bank data management unit through the communication, interface of the master low-cost display unit;
• receives a display bank unit profile containing display parameters for the one or more slave low-cost display units based on the identification information through the communication interface, the display parameters for the one or more slave low-cost display units including at least one of a location of the one or more slave low-cost display units and a time of day,
• receives travel-related information from the display bank data management unit in accordance with the received display parameters through the communication interface,
• determines what elements of the received travel-related information to send to different ones of the one or more slave low-cost display units based on the display parameters,
• sends the determined elements of the received travel-related information to be displayed on each of the one or more slave low-cost display units to the each of the one or more slave low-cost display units,
• directs display of the received travel-related information on the master low-cost display unit, and
• directs that the determined elements of the received travel-related information be displayed on the each one of the one or more slave low-cost display units based on the received display parameters,
• wherein the travel-related information includes at least one of arrival information, departure information, subway schedules, terminal maps, station maps, location maps, advertisements, paging information, emergency information, current time and date information, and weather information information, and
• the display bank control unit of the a master low-cost display unit further determines that new travel-related information is available from the display bank data management unit, receives the new travel-related information from the display bank data management unit, updates a determination of what elements of the new travel-related information to send to different ones of the one or more slave low-cost display units based on the display parameters, and displays the new travel-related information on the master low-cost display unit and the determined elements of the new travel-related information on the one or more slave low-cost display units based on the received display parameters.