Open data factsheet v2

Saving Money,
Improving
Operations?
Introduction to Open Data and
Crowdsourcing in Public Transit

Monday, December 12, 11

The Vision A Multimodal Public Transit Network Designed,
Utilized and Operated By... The Public
U Car
Casco Share
GoMaine Bay Lines
Shoreline
Vanpool
Explorer

Bike Zoom
Share Turnpike
Express
Brunswick
Explorer
Amtrak
Portland Downeaster East Coast
Metro Bus Greenway Trail
Maine
Eastern
Railroad

Maine State Ferry

Vacationers Residents


Brunswick
Transportation

Rail Bus Tickets

CarShare Bike Trails

Closest Schedules Maps

Integrated Data Networks Leading To-


Heavy Rail Commuter Diesel Light Rail High Speed Ferry

Integrated Mass Transit Networks
Regionwide
Rural Transit Rapid Bus Smart
Ticketing

All images from the North County Transit District Oceanside CA


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

craigslist | classifieds
apple | music, phones, cameras
amazon | books, retail
linkedin | recruiting
airbnb | hotels
google | direct marketing
netflix | videos
skype | phones
twitter | news
* All text and copy this slide - Nick Grossman The Opportunity for Civic Startups Web 2.0 Expo 2011


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

The tools now exist to transform any
institution
craigslist | classifieds
apple | music, phones, cameras
amazon | books, retail
linkedin | recruiting
airbnb | hotels
google | direct marketing
netflix | videos
skype | phones
twitter | news
* 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


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

Monthly Transportation Costs Per Household
$1,000.00
Mobile transit apps use open data
for schedule and real-time location
information. They have revolutionized $750.00

mobility by making public transit more
convenient. Their popularity is driven $500.00
in part by ﬂuctuating fuel prices,
ballooning debt, global warming, and
$250.00
the ubiquity of wireless devices as the
public seeks alternatives to auto Waldoboro, Maine Brunswick, Maine
dependency. $0 Portland Maine Boston Mass
H and T Affordability Index, Center for Neighborhood
Technology. www.htaindex.org


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).


Closed Model Platform Model

Mobile, web & other apps
API

Real-time Server

* 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


MBTA “App Showcase”


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 Transit Data
Schedule a Trip
Check Your
Neighborhood
Find A
Ride

Open Data Can Change The Game


Champaign-Urbana (Metro Pop. 231,892)


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

?

www.citygoround.org

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.


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.


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!

Transit Appliance:Open Source Code
+Consumer Grade Screen Display -$60
Tiramisu-Crowdsourced Transit App for www.transitappliance.org
iPhone/Android

http://www.tiramisutransit.com/


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-

• Regional
• Scalable
• Open
• Managed through genuine public involvement


• Regional • Open
Large urban transit systems are centered A regional transit system will transcend the
around the area of highest population coverage area of any single agency
density (usually a downtown) and are jurisdiction other than MDOT or USDOT.
generally limited to service within a single However, the adoption of open data
municipal boundary or metro area. The standards such as the GTFS-OSM format
population in Maine is distributed along (recommended earlier) allows for
corridors between service centers whose interagency coordination to happen where
individual populations don’t exceed administrative costs and politics would’ve
60,000 people. been impossible in the past.
• Scalable Genuine Public Management
Regional transportation requires a wide Genuine public involvement should be
spectrum of transit modes to work pursued for reasons not only to reduce
together. Larger service centers should be opposition, but as a necessary function
connected by a regional rail network, of day to day operations. Younger
which would be supplemented by local citizens especially are beginning to use
bus routes, vanpools, carpools, carshares, information networking as a public
bikeshares, marine and pedestrian engagement tool. They will ﬁnd a way to
facilities to ensure “point to point” engage one way or another. Its up to the
connectivity even to some of the most agency whether that engagement will be
remote locations. positive or negative.


Urbanist Model
Urban Core Suburban Rural/Exurban
Population Density- High
Transportation Types
Periphery Population Density- Low
Transportation Types-Long
Population Density-- Medium Distance/Intercity Rail/Bus, Community
Streetcar, Light Rail, City Bus,
Transportation Types Commuter Transit
Subway
Service Frequency- High, less Rail, Local Bus Service Frequency-Very Low,
than 15 minute intervals Service Frequency weekdays, AM to Sporadic
Service Area- Within Municipal city, PM out of city Service Area- Large Area, Over Two
Boundaries Service Area- Between Suburbs and Hours from urban center
Management-- Municipal Urban core Management- State, Federal,
Management- State, Regional Regional

carfreemaine.org

Regional Model Ferry, Water Taxi

Intercity Rail, Seasonal Rail
➡ Population ➡ Distributed Land-Use Commuter Vanpools,
Centers of Variable patterns concentrated Paratransit
Bicycle Trails, BikeShare
Size and around Service Centers
Population Density Intercity Trailways, Local
Metro Bus, Seasonal Trolley

Taxi, carpool, carshare
➡ Regional Transit emphasizing
➡ Micro Transit Options are scaled
multimodal operations and tight
according to existing and potential
coordination with ancillary services
demand

➡ Regional Transit Hubs closely
integrated with service centers

Main Service Centers
Secondary Service Centers

carfreemaine.org


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


Example of a popular application

Boston MA
Halifax NS,
128 Minutes w/Bicycle
128 Minutes w/
Bicycle


Proposed Coastal Corridor for Car-Free Tourism

Ferry Rockland
Connection
Maine
Eastern RR Bass Harbor/
Downeaster W/ Brunswick Acadia NP
Brunswick
Extension
Bath

Saco/ Freeport
Biddeford
Portland

Wells


Brunswick/
Bath/Topsham Brunswick/
Bath/
Topsham

Portland/So.
Portland/So. Portland/
Portland/ Westbrook/
Westbrook/Casco
Bay Islands Casco Bay
Islands

Biddeford/
Saco/Old
Orchard
Biddeford/Saco/
Old Orchard


Local Transit Connections on the
Downeaster Rail Corridor


For Supplemental Materials from this
presentation and others like it scan the QR
Code
or just go to

carfreemaine.org
facebook.com/carfreemaine ajawitz@carfreemaine.org
@carfreemaine 207 370 5481
youtube.com/user/carfreemaine
ﬂickr.com/user/carfreemaine CarFree Maine


Open data factsheet v2

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