Collect real-time data with Ara via SIRI interface

Owned by Rindra Rakotondrasoa
Last updated: Oct 31, 2022 by Anna Mamontova
2 min read

Ara is an application that allows you to collect and transit real-time data flows describing your transport offer on one or more networks.

It is able to collect data from your CAS via standard protocols: GTFS-RT, SIRI. Ara then ensures the distribution of this data to the various consumers (passenger application, Open Data, etc.) in the required protocols: GTFS-RT, SIRI, SIRI-Lite.

The entities from which the real time data are collected or to which the real time data are broadcasted are called Exchange Partners. The collection of data for Ara is done through the configuration of connectors for these Exchange Partners, which allow Ara to be fed with real time data once configured. From a functional point of view, each Exchange Partner has a specific configuration of the connectors of the Ara SaaS platform.

Principle of a collection in SIRI

Ara SaaS can collect real-time data in many ways.

The most appropriate configuration is to use the SIRI protocol in order to continuously collect the status of the stops and the scheduled trips.

The simplest configuration is to combine the following three standard SIRI services:

  • Check Status: to continuously know the status of the SIRI server of the CAS;

  • Stop Point Discovery: to know permanently the set of stops that can be collected in real time;

  • Stop Monitoring (in subscription mode): to continuously collect the status of the stops and the scheduled trips.

To configure the Exchange Partner that allows Ara SaaS to be fed in this configuration, only three parameters are necessary

  • The public URL of the SIRI service of the CAS to transmit the requests. e.g. <https://<publicip>:<port>/SiriServices>

  • The identifier used by Ara as RequestorRef in the SIRI requests sent to the CAS SIRI server.

  • The identifier used by the CAS SIRI server as ProducerRef in SIRI notifications sent to Ara

SIRI notifications will be sent by the CAS SIRI server to Ara on the public URL: <https://ara-api.enroute.mobi/<referential>/siri.

This URL is transmitted in each SIRI subscription request made by Ara (so it does not necessarily require any configuration).

Secure exchanges


For these SIRI exchanges to be possible, network exchanges must be possible between the HTTP SIRI server of the CAS and the servers of Ara SaaS.

The HTTP SIRI interface of the CAS must be accessible from Internet on a public IP. We recommend that the exchanges are possible in HTTPS.

The SIRI requests to Ara will be possible only in HTTPS (to https://ara-api.enroute.mobi).