Open data factsheet v2

Saving Money, Improving

Operations?Introduction to Open Data and Crowdsourcing in Public Transit

Monday, December 12, 11

GoMaine Vanpool

Amtrak Downeaster

Shoreline Explorer

Brunswick Explorer

Portland Metro Bus

Zoom Turnpike Express

Casco Bay Lines

Maine Eastern Railroad

U Car Share

Vacationers Residents

East Coast Greenway Trail

The Vision A Multimodal Public Transit Network Designed, Utilized and Operated By... The Public

Bike Share

Maine State Ferry


CarShare

MapsSchedulesClosest

BusRail

Bike Trails

Tickets

BrunswickTransportation

Integrated Data Networks Leading To-


Integrated Mass Transit Networks

Heavy Rail Commuter Diesel Light Rail High Speed Ferry

Rural Transit Rapid BusRegionwide

Smart Ticketing

All images from the North County Transit District Oceanside CA


craigslist | classifiedsapple | music, phones, cameras

amazon | books, retaillinkedin | recruiting

airbnb | hotelsgoogle | direct marketing

netflix | videosskype | phonestwitter | news

Pick an industry, and you’ll find an internet or software company that’s transforming it right now. [Netscape founder Marc] Andreesen notes that we now have the tools to transform nearly any industry -- he points to healthcare and education as prime targets.

- Nick Grossman The Opportunity for Civic Startups Web 2.0 Expo 2011

* All text and copy this slide - Nick Grossman The Opportunity for Civic Startups Web 2.0 Expo 2011


craigslist | classifiedsapple | music, phones, cameras

amazon | books, retaillinkedin | recruiting

airbnb | hotelsgoogle | direct marketing

netflix | videosskype | phonestwitter | news

The tools now exist to transform any institution

Pick an industry, and you’ll find an internet or software company that’s transforming it right now. [Netscape founder Marc] Andreesen notes that we now have the tools to transform nearly any industry -- he points to healthcare and education as prime targets.

- Nick Grossman The Opportunity for Civic Startups Web 2.0 Expo 2011

* All text and copy this slide - Nick Grossman The Opportunity for Civic Startups Web 2.0 Expo 2011


What is Open Data and what does it have to do with

Public Transit?

Open data is data that’s made available to software programmers. Initially the term referred to the “Open Source” software movement, but more recent usage refers to data by institutions in the “public

domain” such as government, scientific, and education institutions, which function as “platforms” from which an ecosystem of innovative

applications can be developed by anybody with the proper skills.


What is “Crowdsourcing”Crowdsourcing is the act of sourcing tasks traditionally performed by

specific individuals to a group of people or community (crowd) through an open call-.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowdsourcing

Recent studies* suggest that crowdsourcing methods may best be utilized by small/mid-sized Transit operators whose

staff/budgetary limitations prevent the adoption of expensive automated formats while increasing public

involvement in operations.*Mobile Transit Rider Information Via Universal Design and Crowdsourcing http://docs.trb.org/prp/11-3858.pdf

Transportation Research Board 2011

*Enabling Cost Effective Trip Planners Through Open Transit Data 5/2011 National Center for Transit Research http://www.nctr.usf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/77926.pdf


http://docs.trb.org/prp/11-3858.pdf

http://docs.trb.org/prp/11-3858.pdf

http://www.nctr.usf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/77926.pdf

http://www.nctr.usf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/77926.pdf

Mobile transit apps use open data for schedule and real-time location information. They have revolutionized mobility by making public transit more convenient. Their popularity is driven in part by fluctuating fuel prices, ballooning debt, global warming, and the ubiquity of wireless devices as the public seeks alternatives to auto dependency. $0

$250.00

$500.00

$750.00

$1,000.00Monthly Transportation Costs Per Household

Waldoboro, Maine Brunswick, MainePortland Maine Boston Mass

“Tech for Transit: Designing a Future System” Latitude Research 2010 http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/nextamcity/22658/latitude-transit-study-results-part-two

H and T Affordability Index, Center for Neighborhood Technology. www.htaindex.org


http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/nextamcity/22658/latitude-transit-study-results-part-two

http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/nextamcity/22658/latitude-transit-study-results-part-two

The practice has been especially successful in the public transit sector, where schedule data has been made public in a standardized format called GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification), developed by Google. More recent applications combine GTFS schedule data with a crowdsourced mapping protocol called OpenStreetMap (OSM).


Real-time Server

Mobile, web & other apps

Closed Model Platform Model

API

* This slide - Nick Grossman The Opportunity for Civic Startups Web 2.0 Expo 2011


Where is it used?

According to www.citygoround.org

over 197 agencies around the country provide public data, including most of the largest systems. Most

agencies provide resources for

developers right on their websites.

Image Source citygoround.org


http://www.citygoround.org


MBTA “App Showcase”


Open Transit Data

Schedule a TripCheck Your

Neighborhood Find A Ride

An inventory of relevent open transit data can have far-reaching effects in a rural area. Open Transit Data has been released with great success in places like Portland Oregon, and Boston where over

1/3 of MBTA riders use some form of mobile app to plan their trips or locate their bus or train. Mass transit has been difficult to implement in Maine because of the low population density. However,

with sufficient network adoption, a “Smart Transit” system can effectively scale its modal response much like the “Smart Grid” uses data to determine power generation.

Open Data Can Change The Game


Champaign-Urbana (Metro Pop. 231,892)


Portland, So-Portland, Biddeford Metro Pop. 514,098

?Monday, December 12, 11

What about Maine?According to citygoround.com and the gtfs data exchange no agencies in Maine have made data available for developers. PACTS and GPCOG in Portland have taken initial steps by converting schedule data into a gtfs format but the data has not been made readily available to developers.

www.citygoround.org




Regional planning organizations have been working on an “Intelligent

Transportation System” (ITS) in the State of Maine since 2001. This initiative was at the cutting edge of innovation at the time but technology has advanced to the point where similar information displays can be

provided for less than $150 each today.


Transit Appliance:Open Source Code+Consumer Grade Screen Display -$60

www.transitappliance.org

These applications have all been developed using open source or crowdsourced data and can be

combined with modified consumer devices for less than $100 each!

Tiramisu-Crowdsourced Transit App for iPhone/Android

http://www.tiramisutransit.com/


http://www.transitappliance.org

http://www.transitappliance.org

How to make it happen in Maine?

Mass Transit research and development tends to favor larger urban metros where transit systems reach more people. However, research

methods and technologies developed for NYC may not be appropriate for Portland Maine.

Transit systems in small cities and towns need to be-

• Scalable

• Open

• Managed through genuine public involvement

• Regional


Large urban transit systems are centered around the area of highest population density (usually a downtown) and are

generally limited to service within a single municipal boundary or metro area. The population in Maine is distributed along

corridors between service centers whose individual populations don’t exceed

60,000 people.

Regional transportation requires a wide spectrum of transit modes to work

together. Larger service centers should be connected by a regional rail network,

which would be supplemented by local bus routes, vanpools, carpools, carshares,

bikeshares, marine and pedestrian facilities to ensure “point to point”

connectivity even to some of the most remote locations.

• Regional

• Scalable Genuine Public ManagementGenuine public involvement should be pursued for reasons not only to reduce opposition, but as a necessary function

of day to day operations. Younger citizens especially are beginning to use

information networking as a public engagement tool. They will find a way to engage one way or another. Its up to the agency whether that engagement will be

positive or negative.

A regional transit system will transcend the coverage area of any single agency

jurisdiction other than MDOT or USDOT. However, the adoption of open data

standards such as the GTFS-OSM format (recommended earlier) allows for

interagency coordination to happen where administrative costs and politics would’ve

been impossible in the past.

• Open


Urbanist ModelUrban CorePopulation Density- High

Transportation Types Streetcar, Light Rail, City Bus,

SubwayService Frequency- High, less

than 15 minute intervalsService Area- Within Municipal

BoundariesManagement-- Municipal

Suburban PeripheryPopulation Density-- MediumTransportation Types Commuter Rail, Local BusService Frequency weekdays, AM to city, PM out of cityService Area- Between Suburbs and Urban coreManagement- State, Regional

Rural/ExurbanPopulation Density- Low

Transportation Types-Long Distance/Intercity Rail/Bus, Community

TransitService Frequency-Very Low,

SporadicService Area- Large Area, Over Two

Hours from urban centerManagement- State, Federal,

Regional

carfreemaine.orgMonday, December 12, 11

Regional Model➡ Population Centers of Variable

Size and Population Density

➡ Distributed Land-Use patterns concentrated

around Service Centers

➡ Regional Transit emphasizing multimodal operations and tight

coordination with ancillary services

Main Service CentersSecondary Service Centers

➡ Micro Transit Options are scaled according to existing and potential

demand

➡ Regional Transit Hubs closely integrated with service centers

Ferry, Water Taxi

Intercity Rail, Seasonal Rail

Commuter Vanpools, Paratransit

Bicycle Trails, BikeShare

Intercity Trailways, Local Metro Bus, Seasonal Trolley

Taxi, carpool, carshare

carfreemaine.org


Appendices-

For more details about GTFS-OSM based applications see contact info at end


Boston MA 128 Minutes w/Bicycle

Halifax NS, 128 Minutes w/

Bicycle

Example of a popular application



Ferry Connection

Maine Eastern RR

Downeaster W/ Brunswick Extension

Bath

Freeport

Proposed Coastal Corridor for Car-Free Tourism

Wells

Saco/Biddeford

Portland

Brunswick

Rockland

Bass Harbor/ Acadia NP


Portland/So. Portland/

Westbrook/Casco Bay

Islands

Biddeford/Saco/Old Orchard

Brunswick/Bath/

Topsham

Brunswick/Bath/Topsham

Portland/So. Portland/

Westbrook/Casco Bay Islands

Biddeford/Saco/Old Orchard


Local Transit Connections on the Downeaster Rail Corridor


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