Real-time updates on border wait times for the public

Purpose

1.1. Automate real-time dissemination of border wait times to the public across digital and communication channels.
1.2. Enhance transparency, customer service, and readiness at border crossings by updating communities on changes in queue durations, closures, and alerts.
1.3. Reduce congestion and planning uncertainty by automatedly enabling travelers to select optimal times and routes through up-to-date public notifications.
1.4. Handle automated feeds from border surveillance or customs APIs and push updates to end-users without manual intervention.

Trigger Conditions

2.1. Automated polling or data push from border agency APIs indicating a change in wait time.
2.2. Threshold surpassing—e.g., wait times exceed a pre-set limit.
2.3. Scheduled intervals—such as every 15 minutes—automate updates irrespective of change.
2.4. Manual override for emergency updates or critical system interventions.

Platform Variants

3.1. Twilio SMS
• Feature/Setting: Automate SMS broadcasting via Messaging Service; use API endpoint `/v1/Services/{ServiceSid}/Messages` to push updates.
3.2. SendGrid
• Feature/Setting: Automatee-mail alerts by integrating the Transactional Email API `/mail/send` for real-time commute updates.
3.3. Microsoft Teams
• Feature/Setting: Automate channel notifications with Webhook connectors targeting `/webhookb2/` endpoint.
3.4. Slack
• Feature/Setting: Automate public channel posts with Incoming Webhooks `/services/T00000000/B00000000/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX`.
3.5. Telegram
• Feature/Setting: Automate broadcasting via Bot API using `/sendMessage` to configured group chat IDs.
3.6. Discord
• Feature/Setting: Automate border updates by configuring Webhook URLs in channel settings for instant posting.
3.7. WhatsApp Business API
• Feature/Setting: Automate messaging by integrating `/v1/messages` for sending real-time alerts.
3.8. Facebook Messenger
• Feature/Setting: Automate updates with Send API at endpoint `/v11.0/me/messages`.
3.9. Google Chat
• Feature/Setting: Automate posting via Webhooks at `chat.googleapis.com/v1/spaces/SPACE/messages` endpoint.
3.10. Microsoft Power Automate
• Feature/Setting: Automate data flows and notifications using “When an HTTP request is received” trigger to streamline updates.
3.11. Zapier
• Feature/Setting: Automate multi-channel broadcasting via the Webhooks and Messaging integrations.
3.12. Mailgun
• Feature/Setting: Automate mass e-mails on new data using `/messages` for API-driven e-mail.
3.13. AWS SNS (Simple Notification Service)
• Feature/Setting: Automate SMS, push, and email alerts through topic-based publishing using `/Publish` API.
3.14. Google Cloud Pub/Sub
• Feature/Setting: Automate publish-subscribe model by pushing messages to `projects/{project}/topics/{topic}`.
3.15. IFTTT
• Feature/Setting: Automate applet triggering for social posts or notification services when new data is scraped.
3.16. LinkedIn API
• Feature/Setting: Automate company page updates via `/ugcPosts` API endpoint.
3.17. Twitter/X API
• Feature/Setting: Automate real-time tweets using `/2/tweets` for dynamic notifications.
3.18. RSS Feeds
• Feature/Setting: Automate feed updates using standardized XML output at `/feed.xml`.
3.19. WordPress
• Feature/Setting: Automate website banner updates via REST API endpoint `/wp/v2/posts` or `/wp/v2/pages`.
3.20. Shopify
• Feature/Setting: Automate custom app notification banners using Admin API `/admin/api/2021-07/shop.json`.
3.21. PagerDuty
• Feature/Setting: Automate triggering incident alerts with Events API v2 POST `/v2/enqueue` for critical conditions.
3.22. ServiceNow
• Feature/Setting: Automate real-time service notifications via `/api/now/table/incident` endpoint.
3.23. Google Sheets
• Feature/Setting: Automate dashboard refresh or append updates by writing to Sheets API `/v4/spreadsheets/{spreadsheetId}/values`.

Benefits

4.1. Automates information delivery, reducing manual labor and operational friction.
4.2. Provides timely, automated, and reliable communication to the public, saving travelers time and reducing congestion.
4.3. Maximizes transparency for government and agencies, automating compliance and reporting obligations.
4.4. Integrates and automates cross-channel updates, reaching users on their preferred platforms without duplication.
4.5. Supports scalable, maintainable, and audit-ready automations adaptable to changes in border policy and demand.