The Importance of Transit Data
January 17, 2009
I have always had a strange ability to memorize maps and give directions without anything but the pictures in my head. When I was a kid I used to lead the way to different roller coasters at amusement parks, merely by recalling the park's map. When I lived in Dallas last winter, people who had lived in the city for their entire lives often called on me for directions. It is a skill I have never particularly known how to put to valuable use, and I have always been at least somewhat resentful of the growth in personal GPS devices. Imagine, being able to go anywhere without an even basic comprehension of maps...
The reality, of course, is that GPS technology isn't going anywhere. More and more new cars will have these devices factory-installed, and as the price of stand-alone units continues to depreciate, more and more individuals will purchase them. GPS is a technology that is significantly more useful to drivers than it is to pedestrians or transit-riders. Fortunately, technology favorable to non-drivers is also moving forward at an incredible pace. Douglas McGray describes one such instance in the current issue of The Atlantic:
So far, dozens of transit agencies have released their schedule data, some publicly to anyone willing to download the files; others exclusively to companies like Google. Some, unfortunately, refuse to release their transit data at all. The goal of transit agencies should be to make it as easy as possible for people to take advantage of their service - withholding the data critical to that goal isn't particularly doing anybody a favor.
The reality, of course, is that GPS technology isn't going anywhere. More and more new cars will have these devices factory-installed, and as the price of stand-alone units continues to depreciate, more and more individuals will purchase them. GPS is a technology that is significantly more useful to drivers than it is to pedestrians or transit-riders. Fortunately, technology favorable to non-drivers is also moving forward at an incredible pace. Douglas McGray describes one such instance in the current issue of The Atlantic:
In 2007, Google engineers asked public-transit agencies across the country to submit their arrival and departure data in a simple, standard, open format—a text file, basically, with a bunch of numbers separated by commas—so Google Maps could generate bus and subway directions. A handful of agencies, including BART, decided to go a step further and publish that raw data online. Once they did that, any programmer could grab the data and write a trip planner, for any platform...Like GPS is making getting places by car easier than ever, technology like Google Transit is making not driving easier than ever too. The days of complicated timetables and black and white maps that don't make any sense are over. With the number of people walking around with iPods, iPhones and Blackberries these days, transit directions can be generated in seconds. Two years ago, this service was virtually unavailable.
I met Moore and Leighton at a gathering in Silicon Valley called TransitCamp. Inspired by a similar event in Toronto, the idea was to brainstorm what you might do with transit-agency data. Nearly 100 people came. One guy was looking to build a Web site that combined an online ride-share forum with BART arrival and departure times. A pilot who runs an air-taxi business was hoping to mash up flight, bus, and subway schedules. Environmental activists were seeking new ways to get cars off the street.
So far, dozens of transit agencies have released their schedule data, some publicly to anyone willing to download the files; others exclusively to companies like Google. Some, unfortunately, refuse to release their transit data at all. The goal of transit agencies should be to make it as easy as possible for people to take advantage of their service - withholding the data critical to that goal isn't particularly doing anybody a favor.
