DOT to build National Transit Map from local open data

To get a better view of transportation issues across the country, the Department of Transportation wants to build a National Transit Map from open transit data collected from local and state transit agencies. Such a map could help DOT pinpoint areas that experience gaps in public transportation.

In a letter to transit agencies, Transportation Secretary Anthony R. Foxx asked them to share the link to their General Transit Feed Specification formatted data or other machine-readable data. DOT would take a periodic snapshot from the local agencies’ feeds so their routing and schedules can be incorporated into the national map. Data collection would occur no more than once a month.

“With this information in hand, DOT, planning agencies and researchers can do a far better job of demonstrating the importance and role of transit in American society and identify and address gaps in access to public transportation,” Foxx wrote in the letter.

Continue reading: https://gcn.com/articles/2016/03/28/dot-open-data-transit-map.aspx?s=gcntech_290316