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Some Remarks on Issues around Data and Tools for
Understanding Public Transport Networks from My PhD
Work
Patrick Sunter: PhD Candidate in Architecture Building and Planning, University of Melbourne Transport, Health & Chronic Diseases Research Network Seminar 13 November, 2013
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Research Context
Primary Research Methods:- Co-Development of Tools Participant Observation Interviews, Focus Groups, Artifact Analysis
Approach part of reflexive tradition in I.S. Discipline such as Soft Systems Methodology. Specifically drawing from McKay & Marshall’s (2000) “dual cycles” model of interleaving research project (researcher) with pragmatic project (partners)
Research Paradigm: Interpretive Action Research (Info Systems) Undertake a GIS-T System Design, Development & Evaluation with 2 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Melbourne
Network image from HiTrans Best Practice Guide (Nielsen et al, 2005). Photo credits: www.pt4me2.org.au, Wikimedia commons user "voland b", Flickr user "avlxyz”. Travel time map from www.mapumental.com.
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Target Capability: Public Transport Network Analysis
“Travel Time Maps” (IsoChrone maps)
Display either:- Locations reachable from a
given origin in a given time; ‘Catchment’ to reach a given
destination
Generally involve A* network calculation but can be optimised.
Good because they indicate overall network quality, including interchanges
Travel time map from www.mapumental.com.
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Data: GTFS GTFS = “General Transit Feed
Specification’
developers.google.com/transit/
Emerged in mid 2000s from Portland TriMet and Google’s 20% time
Plaintext format: Entire GTFS feed of Portland is ~169 Mb
Live feeds available from 376+ agencies, see:- www.gtfs-data-exchange.com/
Includes Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra: not yet Melbourne
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OpenStreetMap is other key data source
A very impressive collaboratively-developed street database
Hint: segments for major city-regions, inc. Melbourne, downloadable from http://metro.teczno.com/#melbourne
Image from http://www.ideasintransit.org/wiki/OpenStreetMap : showing global edits to OSM in 2008
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Progress with OpenTripPlanner With a mixture of running existing Open Source tools –
especially OpenTripPlanner and Quantum GIS, and some scripting and GIS work, we’ve developed useful visualisations.
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Looks different in growth areas?
With BZE, are working on ability to visualise different future ‘network scenarios’
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More advanced visualisations with this platform & data
Left: Differential impact to New York Transit network after Hurricane Sandy
Right: Mode “Accessibility gap” in Washington D.C. between car and public transport, plus employment
McGurrin, M. F. & Greczner, D. 2011, 'Performance Metrics: Calculating Accessibility Using Open Source Software and Open Data', 11-0230.
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/01/best-maps-weve-seen-sandys-transit-outage-new-york/4488/
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Reflections Would it be worth a more open, commonly-maintained ‘platform’ of tools &
data for the public transit system for different stakeholders to study, improve – inc. in growth areas where different requirements apply?
If yes – what are barriers & issues for greater contribution from data providers? What is governments, universities role, ABS, etc? Are there international examples worth looking at more closely e.g. in Finland, Boston, …
What problems might there be with these data & tools for different user groups? E.g. in the developing world “para-transit” may not work so well with GTFS’s format as-is …
[email protected] T: @PatSunter
http://www.appropedia.org/OSSTIP