A complete introduction to open data in the context of local transportation, including definitions, examples, rationales, implementation challenges and guidelines.

1. Open Data for Transportation Agencies
Embracing Innovation in Information Sharing
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2. About Novavia Solutions
Founded in 2010 as a management consulting firm that
aims to create social value by promoting the use and
development of intelligent transportation solutions.
www.novaviasolutions.com
@NovaviaSols Primary expertise is in the application of information
technology to traffic and transit operations, urban
linkedin/jdmargulici mobility, and infrastructure management.
Novavia Solutions works with public agencies, operators, solution
providers and start-up entrepreneurs with the overarching objective to Email me:
instill technological innovation and design thinking into
transportation networks and the institutions that steward them. jdm@novavia.us
Our services include information technology consulting, program
design and management, systems engineering, organizational
development, product development and marketing, and business
www.slideshare.net/jdmargulici development into new markets.
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3. Open Data for  What is Open Data?
Transportation Agencies
 The Case for Open
Embracing Innovation in Transportation Data
Information Sharing
 Implementation & Challenges
 Questions & Answers
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4. A Definition of Open Data
Open data is the idea that certain
data should be freely available to
everyone to use and republish as
they wish, without restrictions from
copyright, patents or other
mechanisms of control.
(Wikipedia, April 2012)
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5. Open Data: New Term, Old Idea
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6. Open Data: Old Idea, New Tools
Development Hosting Delivery
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7. Key Concepts: APIs, Mashups
Application Programming Interface Mashup
Data Data Data Data
API 1 API 2 API 3
Application
Server
A mashup creates
information by
The API is a fusing multiple
specification for data sources
obtaining data
dynamically Visualization
Publication
Data
Consumer Services
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8. Prime Example: Google Maps
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9. Popular Web APIs and Simple Mashup
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10. Open Data in Government: “Government 2.0”
Term reportedly coined by Tim O’Reilly, founder of O’Reilly Media:
“…. think of it as the adoption of cloud computing, wikis,
crowdsourcing, mobile applications, mashups, developer
contests, or all of the other epiphenomena of Web 2.0 as
applied to the job of government.”
“The rise of Gov 2.0 signals the emergence of IT innovation and
the Web as a platform for fostering efficiencies within
government and citizen participation.”
“… start thinking about designing programs (APIs) that are
enablers”
Notion of “Government as a Platform”
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11. Open Government Data Principles
1. Data Must Be Complete 5. Data Must Be Machine-processable
•All public data are made available. Data are electronically stored •Data are reasonably structured to allow automated processing
information or recordings, including but not limited to of it.
documents, databases, transcripts, and audio/visual recordings.
Public data are data that are not subject to valid privacy,
security or privilege limitations, as governed by other statutes. 6. Access Must Be Non-Discriminatory
2. Data Must Be Primary •Data are available to anyone, with no requirement of
registration.
•Data are published as collected at the source, with the finest
possible level of granularity, not in aggregate or modified forms.
7. Data Formats Must Be Non-Proprietary
3. Data Must Be Timely •Data are available in a format over which no entity has exclusive
control.
•Data are made available as quickly as necessary to preserve the
value of the data.
8. Data Must Be License-free
4. Data Must Be Accessible •Data are not subject to any copyright, patent, trademark or
trade secret regulation. Reasonable privacy, security and
•Data are available to the widest range of users for the widest privilege restrictions may be allowed as governed by other
range of purposes. statutes.
Finally,compliance must be reviewable . A contact person must be designated to respond to people trying to use the data. A
contact person must be designated to respond to complaints about violations of the principles. An administrative or judicial court must have the
jurisdiction to review whether the agency has applied these principles appropriately.
Tim O'Reilly of O'Reilly Media and Carl Malamud of Public.Resource.Org—with sponsorship from the Sunlight Foundation, Google, and Yahoo—hosted a meeting of 30
people interested in open government in Sebastopol, CA on December 7-8, 2007. https://public.resource.org/open_government_meeting.html
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12. Open Data: Federal Leadership
Presidency’s opening remarks Three guiding principles
Transparency
Participation Collaboration
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13. DATA.GOV and Other Initiatives
First U.S. CIO
First U.S. CTO
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14. Diffusion of Open Data Policies & Initiatives
April 2012
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15. Open Data for  What is Open Data?
Transportation Agencies
 The Case for Open
Embracing Innovation in Transportation Data
Information Sharing
 Implementation & Challenges
 Questions & Answers
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16. Opening Case: Google Transit
2012
2006
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17. Planning your Cross-Country Transit Trip…
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18. GTFS: Third-Party Applications
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19. Agencies Leveraging Third-Party Development
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20. Developers Challenges, Prizes, Hackathons…
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21. More Examples…
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22. Open Transportation Data Sample: Traffic
Description Data State / Predictive Data
Road Closures & Air Quality
Road Geometries Air Quality Rules
Detours Restrictions
Navigation
Roadway Evacuation Traffic Volumes & Evacuation
Signage Routes Speeds Routes
Signals & Timing HOV Lanes & Signal Timing & Dynamic
Traffic Plans Rules Phases Messages
Control Ramp Meters Toll Schedules
Ramp Metering HOT / Cordon
Rates Toll Rates
Sweeping Parking Sweeping
Park & Ride Lots
Parking & Schedules Availability Operations
Streets Parking Rules & School Zone
Parking Pricing
Incidents &
Schedules Schedules Special Events
Maintenance Pavement Road Surface
Roadway Schedule
Weather Stations
Conditions Conditions
Assets &
ITS Asset Safety
Conditions ITS Assets Safety Statistics
Conditions Conditions
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23. Open Transportation Data Sample: Modal
Description Data State / Predictive Data
Station Elevator /
Stop Locations ADA Access
Maintenance Escalator Status
Transit
On-time
Schedules Arrival Times Service Alerts
Performance
Closures &
Bike Lanes Bike Sharing Bike Availability
Detours
Biking
Parking Incidents &
Bike Parking Bike Safety
Availability Special Events
Reservation Call-
Taxi Stations Taxi Locations Fleet Availability
in Numbers
Taxi
Typical Wait
Fares Special Deals  Wait Times
Times
Ridesharing Rates and Ridesharing Guaranteed Ride
Rideshare / Pickup Locations Incentives Supply Availability
Carshare Carsharing
User Ratings
Carshare Ridesharing
Stations Availability Demand
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24. Beyond Traffic Detectors: Complete Scope
• Transparency • Participation
• Participation • Collaboration
System
Planning Description
Performance
System State
Measures
• Transparency • Participation
• Collaboration
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25. Direct Benefits of Open Data: More with Less
More Channels Less Front-End Development Less Infrastructure
Many apps, many platforms, Third-party pick up delivery so 50% of the U.S. adult population
many user experiences agencies focus on data curation has a smartphone as of 2012
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26. Forced Benefits of Open Data: Few Alternatives
Public’s Expectations Freedom of Information Disaster Backup Plan
Transit information on Google Open data only gets cheaper Open data as a self-help tool:
Maps is a must. What next? than responding to requests can you afford to pass on it?
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27. Collateral Benefits of Open Data: Ride the Wave
Improved Toolkit Interoperability Premium on Data
Apps and mashups can be used What gets published gets Data availability and quality
by the agencies themselves integrated become political considerations
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28. Political Benefits of Open Data: Power to the People
Transparency Participation Collaboration
Both parties use Open Data to Open Data gets Gen Y involved Open Data stimulates new
demonstrate accountability with civic engagement business creation
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29. Open Data for  What is Open Data?
Transportation Agencies
 The Case for Open
Embracing Innovation in Transportation Data
Information Sharing
 Implementation & Challenges
 Questions & Answers
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30. Open is Good, But…
It’s not exactly FREE! Misuse & Liability Security
Contractual obligations Open what? Who cares anyway?

31. Common Barriers to Open Data
Legacy systems Fees for data Exclusivity Cultural barriers
• IT Systems may not • Open data may run • Open data means • Open data is poised
have the capabilities counter to breaking exclusive to redefine how
to publish machine- established revenue relationships, either government relates
readable files streams (fees or contractual or de and operates: that’s
advertising) facto pretty scary!
Exogenous Factors Endogenous Factors
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32. Where Will Open Data Create Lasting Value?
Three years later, reportedly ONE application
out of several dozens is still running
Ecosystem slowly building for municipal issues reporting with open API
Illustration credits: Brown Bird Design and FastCompany
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33. Implementing Open Data
Scoping and Licensing
• How to promote universal access and unrestricted use yet…
• Abide by local laws and statuses
• Conserve a sense of control and security
• Preserve valuable commercial interests
Publishing
• What technical functionalities and requirements?
• What data formats? Available standards?
Promoting
• How to engage the developer community?
• How to get sustainable results from an open data initiative?
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34. Open Data Scope
Semantic Descriptions METADATA Structural Descriptions
Documents & Core Dynamic Enterprise
Bulk Data Data Data
• Policies & Reports • Description Data • Events &
• Archived Data & • State Data Notifications
Statistics • Organization
• Public Notices Directory
DATA
Content Quality Descriptions Availability and Service Quality
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35. Licensing Practices
Public Domain
No Commercial Attribution
Warranties Use
Unrestricted Usage
Universal Access
Revocable Share- Hold
License Alike Harmless
Redistribute Reuse Use
Copyright
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36. Publishing Open Data to make it discoverable
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37. A Note on Data Protocols
Data Formats
Data Exchange
Markup Languages: Stateless Server:
Service Description
Semantic:
XML, JSON, KML REST Resource
Description
Framework (RDF)
Structured data: Message-Oriented:
CSV SOAP, JMS
Protocol:
Unstructured data: Repository:
Web Services
HTML, JPG… FTP Description
Language (WSDL)
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38. Open Leads to Interoperability: Smart Procurement
Closed systems: no Open systems, different Translator provides
communication possible languages interoperability
Low-hanging fruit: impose web publishing capabilities for every data of every new
software system, irrespective of content / format / current need to publish
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39. Open Data Promotion and Resources
Find Developers
How To Resources
Public
Initiatives
Events
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40. Open Data for  What is Open Data?
Transportation Agencies
 The Case for Open
Embracing Innovation in Transportation Data
Information Sharing
 Implementation & Challenges
 Questions & Answers
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