Open Transport Data - Tech and Policy Talks

Description

The second session will focus on technical as well as the policy and social aspects of opening up transport data.

Part I: Open transport data, the technical side (standards, static/dynamic/real-time…) (45min)

  • An Introduction to GTFS and GTFS-realtime by Brian Ferris (Switzerland, Google Transit) - 15min

Description: The General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) is a popular format for exchanging transit information, used by transit agencies and developers around the world. In this talk, Brian Ferris will discuss the history and motivations behind the spec, how it compares with other transit data standards, and how its being used by agencies and developers. He will also talk about where the spec is headed in the future, including discussion of the recent GTFS-realtime extensions.

  • SIRI: a standard for exchange of real time and deviation information by Bent Flyen (Norway, Travelhack) - 15min

Description: SIRI is an alternative when implementing real time information system and for the exchange of deviation information. The presentation will give a “dummies” introduction to SIRI and present a large scale implementation for all train traffic in Norway.

Bent Flyen is initator for Travelhack Norway 2012, a digital innovation competion for the use of open data in public transport in Norway. He was responsible for opening public transport data for all of eastern Norway and has a background from working with customers like Apple and Nokia in Opera Software. He is now working for Norwegian State Railways as an advisor on real time information systems.

Part II: Open transport data, policy & social aspects (45min)

Description: 3 lightning talks about open transport data policies in different countries

  • TrafikLab by Daniel Rudmark (Sweden, TrafikLab) and Elias Arnestrand, (Sweden,TrafikLab and Samtrafiken) - 15min

Description: A group of public transportation organizations in Sweden, working under the umbrella of Samtrafiken, Stockholm Public Transit and the Viktoria Institute (through the research program ISET) have launched trafiklab.se. Trafiklab.se is an initiative to open up industry-wide traffic data related to personal transport. An industry-wide perspective is a necessity as supporting citizens in their everyday travel requires information from a range of data sources situated at many different organizations. The objective of trafiklab.se is to both to provide a minimum-effort data access, build a community of developers, cater for the dialogue between developers and API providers and to be a showroom for new and exciting applications.

Daniel Rudmark is currently partly employed as a PhD student at the University of Borås, Sweden, doing hands-on research-supporting systems development at InnovationLab (also at the University of Borås) and as a researcher within the research group Sustainable Transports at the Viktoria Institute in Gothenburg. His doctoral research concerns third-party development and Open API’s within the personal transport industry where he has participated in the development of trafiklab.se. Prior to returning to academia Daniel worked with systems development for more than 10 years in various roles such as developer, architect, project manager and CTO. Daniel holds a MSc in Systems Analysis from Linköping University and University of New Mexico.

Elias Arnestrand is currently employed at Samtrafiken in Sweden and engaged in their innovation work and the movement towards open data for public transport. During 2012 Elias has been responsible for the Trafiklab-project, aiming to make data from the Swedish public transport industry available to third party developers. Elias has a background at Stockholm Public Transport and has been working with development of new services for traffic information. He earned his MSc in Sociotechnical Systems Engineering and Degree of Bachelor of Science in Business at Uppsala University. Before starting at Stockholm Public transport he was active as a consultant for the City of Stockholm, the Swedish Road Administration and was Project Manager for the cooperation Trafiken.nu Stockholm.

  • Opening up Helsinki’s Transport Data by Jari Honkonen (Finland, Helsinki Region Transport) - 15min

Description: TBC

  • The experience of Open Train Times by Peter Hicks (UK, Open Train Times) - 15min

Description: The rail industry in Great Britain is just beginning to wake up to the benefits of openness and transparency. In the past 18 months, Open Train Times has been used as a vehicle to highlight the monopoly on certain types of data and has helped to bring issue of transparency in to the eyes of senior management and government departments.

Peter Hicks is an experienced IP Network Engineer and the brains behind OpenTrainTimes.com. He is staunchly pro-openness and transparency, and was the first person outside the country’s rail industry to be given access to key real-time information systems which have since been opened to the public. He spends much of his time working to spread knowledge, stimulate discussion and help make people feel happier about taking the train. Peter’s Open Data work, including OpenTrainTimes, is a side-project in his spare time.

Session Host

Kat Borlongan (France, SNCF and Voxe)

Contributors

  • Brian Ferris (Switzerland, Google Transit)
  • Bent Flyen (Norway, Travelhack)
  • Stefan Wehrmeyer (Germany, Mapnificent)
  • Daniel Rudmark (Sweden, TrafikLab)
  • Elias Arnestrand, (Sweden,TrafikLab and Samtrafiken)
  • Jari Honkonen (Finland, Helsinki Region Transport)
  • Peter Hicks (UK, Open Train Times)

Bios

Coming soon!

Details

Location: INSPIRE foyer

Date & Time: Tuesday, 18th September, 14:00 - 15:30

Target Group: National and European policy makers, public sector dataholders, industry representatives and the emerging open transport data re-user community

Topic Stream: Open Cities

Session Etherpad page: http://okfnpad.org/OKFest-transport-track