The city of Phoenix’s website now hosts coding that provides real-time tracking data for buses and light rail. That data is free for developers to use in designing mobile apps and websites, allowing them to create programs that track the movements of public transportation in real-time.
“[Members of the development community] want data in a way in which they can easily access and use,” said Rob Sweeney, assistant chief information officer with the city’s information-technology services.
Phoenix adopted its open data policy last July after the city council approved a proposal from the IT department. The open data policy makes non-confidential information and statistics readily available online, as they were previously only available through public records requests, Sweeney said.
The potential benefits of open data for transit appealed to the city council, District 3 Councilman Bill Gates said. With the explosion of smartphone usage in recent years, said Gates, there are more opportunities to encourage entrepreneurship tied to public transit.
“I think that this data is valuable data,” Gates said. “It’s data that … already in other cities is being used to some extent.”
The real-time data for transit works by triangulating the location of a bus or light rail through GPS units already installed, said Matthew Heil, a spokesperson for the Phoenix’s Public Transit Department.
The system for buses managed by the city of Phoenix provides a location update every 30 seconds, Heil said. The system for light rail, managed by Valley Metro, provides an update every six-to-eight seconds, Metro spokesperson Corinne Holliday said.
Commuters can already find the arrival time for bus or light rail with NextRide, the system that gives a wait time via phone call or text message for the incoming arrival at a particular stop. But officials said the open data provides more comprehensive coverage, and it could be integrated into maps and existing apps.
Some developers are optimistic about what open data means for Phoenix’s public transportation.
Matt Caywood is CEO of TransitScreen, a company that creates live dashboards of transportation options in several cities. Caywood participated in a workshop with Mayor Greg Stanton in November concerning technology and transit.
Caywood said open data both gives businesses a way to help their cities and helps to inform people about transit through widely available screens. Without open data, developers would have to find a way to work with transit agencies to create their products, which could take years, he said.
“We couldn’t do what we do without open data,” Caywood said, adding that TransitScreen plans to visit Phoenix soon to see who can benefit from the city’s open data.
One developer, however, was disappointed by the quality of the data available.
Adam Mann, a co-creator of the Find My Train app that tracks the light rail’s schedule, said he was hoping to get live, up-to-the-second data for buses, rather than 30-second intervals.
“We would love a live stream of the information, but it’s just not quite there yet, unfortunately,” Mann said.
While Phoenix officials are optimistic that entrepreneurs will find a way to use the newly available data, developers could also face some competition with Valley Metro, which is planning to release its own tracking app in the second week of February.
The app, called RideKick, will feature real-time updates, interactive maps and bus and light rail stops, Holliday said. The app has been in development for over a year, she said, independent of the city’s open-data policy adoption.
Sweeney still sees a strong demand for transit data from the market. Open data can provide greater public awareness of government activity and reduce costs related to public records requests in addition to its potential economic benefits, Sweeney said.
And though the city does not know whether anyone has used the data yet, Heil said there is clear demand for it, with members of the data-aggregation industry wanting the kind of information the city is now providing.
“Hopefully the market will move quickly, and we’ll have several options to choose from soon,” Heil said.
Gates agreed that he trusts people will find applications for the data.
“Even if we don’t have the commercial applications that we are anticipating, this is the people’s information,” Gates said. “So it is good public policy that it ought to be available to the people, so that they have a better view of how their government is operating.”
Contact the reporter at mseeman@asu.edu
