Depending on the anticipated level of use, a touch screen is sturdier than most peripherals. Interactive displays are best situated in places where they will attract users. A minimal need is connection to a reliable power source for the electricity required by the monitor, the driver, and the computer. Displays are frequently linked to terminals in a central location that monitor their continued performance and reliability. The RTA uses it, without staff, to reach people in shopping malls and other high-traffic areas and get them involved.
Interactive displays are stationary components of a larger outreach program.
They cannot be an agency's sole means of public communication. Instead, they offer a dynamic and poten tially absorbing method for expanding public involvement. Any new technology involving machines may cause unease. People resent the use of machines as a perceived replacement for personal communication. Software purchase is a high up-front cost.