What open source and open data
mean for tomorrow's
transportation agencies
Nick Grossman, The Open Planning Project
NYSDOT 511 / ITS Regional Workshop, 10/1/09

Open

Better stuff. Less money.

Who we are
TOPP is a nonprofit civic technology organization
OpenGeo TOPP Labs Livable Streets
Open source GIS Civic web Urban policy
tools & services applications media & advocacy

What we do, exactly
We create software, build open source communities,
and advocate for smarter, more livable cities

Some clients and users
• Portland TriMet
• MassGIS: Central GIS Agency of Massachusetts
• Landgate: State of Western Australia
• IGN France and Spain: National Mapping Agencies
• New York City and San Francisco
• Finnish Ministry of Agriculture
• Dutch Ministry of Water and Transportation

1. Open Source

Open source is a new way of
developing software.
• It’s about collaboration
• It’s free to use — no license fees
• It produces better software

A tiny example

Getting a little bigger

Filling in the gaps

Inclusive process

Inclusive process
One Bus Away

Mutual benefit, collaborative funding

Mutual benefit, collaborative funding

Product development
Existing Code
tools contributions
Roadmap Features
Funding

Towards an open transit suite
System map Developer center
Trip planner Data management
AVL System planning
Modeling Analysis ...

But wait... it’s harder than that

But wait... it’s harder than that
“GeoServer Enterprise offered us the flexible and
comprehensive support we were looking for: expertise and
knowledge transfer from core developers; feature development
that's incorporated into the source code; unlimited priority
bug fixes; and fast and reliable technical support”
— Bibiana McHugh
IT Manager for GIS, TriMet

2. Open Data

You don’t have to build it all

Core services
Apps
Agency

Core services
Apps
Data APIs Platform
Agency

Core services Value added
at no cost
App
Apps App
App
Data APIs Platform
Agency

Concerns
• Data accuracy
• Liability
• Trademarks and copyrights
• Equity
• Security

GPS

IRS eFile

Data.gov

Wikipedia
2-way: Hopstop, Ride The City

The beginning of a platform for transit
Google Transit Feed Specification (GTFS)

The industry is catching on

The industry is catching on
“Sharing our investment in technology will help to create
innovative tools more quickly and in a broader range than
what the agency will be able to provide on its own.”

The industry is catching on
“Sharing our investment in technology will help to create
innovative tools more quickly and in a broader range than
what the agency will be able to provide on its own.”
“The bottom line is to provide the best experience for
customers by enabling those who can create new and varied
applications with the means to do so.”

The industry is catching on
“Sharing our investment in technology will help to create
innovative tools more quickly and in a broader range than
what the agency will be able to provide on its own.”
“The bottom line is to provide the best experience for
customers by enabling those who can create new and varied
applications with the means to do so.”
— Richard L Rodriguez
President, Chicago Transit Authority, 9/9/09
http://www.transitchicago.com/news/default.aspx?Month=&Year=&Category=2&ArticleId=2450

Over 100 transit-related iPhone apps

Open data = good press

So, how do you get there?

Idea 1: Rethink the order
of operations
(Hat tip to Chris Dempsey from Mass EOT for helping to articulate this idea)

Idea 1: Rethink the order
of operations
Then:
1. Build end-to-end
infrastructure...
2. ... including
consumer services
3. Open up data
(as an afterthought)
(Hat tip to Chris Dempsey from Mass EOT for helping to articulate this idea)

Idea 1: Rethink the order
of operations
Then: Now:
1. Build end-to-end 1. Build internal
infrastructure... infrastructure
2. ... including 2. Open up data
consumer services 3. Build core services
3. Open up data + see what arrives
(as an afterthought) from third parties
(Hat tip to Chris Dempsey from Mass EOT for helping to articulate this idea)

Idea 2: Make it easy

Idea 3: Engage developers early on

Bringing it back home
http://nytransitdata.org

Open:
Better stuff. Less money.

Keep in touch!
• The Open Planning Project: http://openplans.org
• Nick Grossman:
nickyg@openplans.org
@nickgrossman on twitter
• OpenTripPlanner: http://opentripplanner.org
• This presentation: http://slideshare.net/openplans