cost cutting through information systems: using google transit as a model

Transportation leadership you can trust.

presented to

New York State Public Transit Association Spring Conference

presented byEric ZieringCambridge Systematics, Inc.

June 3, 2011

Cost Cutting through Information SystemsUsing Google Transit as a Model

Presentation Overview

Background: Google Transit and Related Services

Project showcase:• Transit Toolscs for improved Service Planning• PROGGREScs for Asset Management/SOGR• Atlanta Regional Transit Data Warehouse

A brief sidebar on open source software

Big Finish and Q&A

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Google Transit and Related Services

Why Successful

A commitment to open architecture and community participation

A mindset of focusing on flexible layers of infrastructure, rather than specific applications

A willingness to allow (or even an intent to encourage) commercialization by third parties

A very high level of skill and technical capability

A virtually unlimited budget

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Why Significant

Valuable in its own right as a powerful (and very cost-effective) transit customer service application

Emblematic of a new way of doing business:• Openness – competitive market for application development

and maintenance• Industry momentum – improvements in the core application

derive benefits that are highly leveraged• A thriving open-source community delivers “free”

enhancements

Changing industry expectations and perceptions

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Transit Toolscs for improved Service Planning

Project Goals

Provide an efficient means for evaluating route realignments and new services

Identify areas with the greatest potential demand for service – ensure best use of resources

Leverage behavioral models, rich census data, and – where available – market research and segmentation data

Evaluate and demonstrate potential impacts of regional policy changes, and their interrelationship with service characteristics.

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Project Impacts

Transit Tools now in use in San Franciso (ongoing), Puget Sound, Chicago, Washington DC, San Mateo, Utah

Web-based version deployed in 2011• Reduced development and deployment costs• Enhanced capabilities• Flexible deployment (software-as-a-service option)

Tools support cost cutting and efficient use of resources

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PROGGREScs for Asset Management/SOGR

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Problem Goals

Deliver predictable levels of funding to VA transit agencies

Ensure that funds are awarded based on verifiable need

Obtain maximum leverage from Federal funding sources

Implement a particular SOGR policy: focus on ensuring that operators maintaining the health of rolling stock

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Project Impacts

Now in third annual cycle of use; considered very successful

Grant application workflow adapted to leverage SOGR forecasts

DRPT can justify expenditures and ensure “best use” of funds

FTA grant application submitted to enhance and release as an open source application

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Atlanta Regional Transit Data Warehouse

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Project Goals

Develop a regional view of transit – encourage collaboration and data sharing

Leverage the GTFS specification to support regional route maps and (future) trip planning applications

Provide data access to support a community of innovation around other Transit data sources

Partnership between CS and OpenPlans, a non-profit specializing in open source solutions

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Project Scope

Data Warehouse for…• Route & Schedule Data (GTFS)• Capital Asset Inventory (like PROGGRES)• Performance Data @ System & Route level (like NTD)

Software Capabilities…• Interactive Regional Route Map• Administrative Interface for Data Editing (including route,

stop, and schedule data; NTD data)• Defined APIs to support third party applications

Support a Regional Viewpoint

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Operators/Agencies

• U GA Transit System• GRTA• MARTA• Buckhead Community Improvement District• ARC• Cherokee County• Douglas County Rideshare• Hall Area Transit• CTRAN• GCT• Cobb County• VPSI Inc.• HC Transit

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Expected Benefits – Regional and National

Better sharing and integration of transit data – not just route/stop, but operations, assets, etc.

Increased regional perspective

Enhanced Open Source tools for transit data warehousing

Platform that enables third party developers to create new applications

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A Sidebar on Open Source Software

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Open Source Software – Definition (Wikipedia)

“Open source software is software whose source code is published and made available to the public, enabling anyone to copy, modify

and redistribute the source code without paying royalties or fees.

Open source code evolves through community cooperation.”

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Open Source Licenses (Wikipedia)

Grant to licensees the right to copy, modify and redistribute source code (or content).

Licenses may impose obligations • Modifications must be redistributed as open source• Author attributions must be included• Limitations on [or express permissions for]

commercialization• Assignment of copyrights for new submissions

Common licenses include Apache, BSD, GNU GPL, GNU Lesser GPL, MIT, Eclipse, Mozilla…

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Open Source is Not Necessarily…

Public Domain

Copyright Free

Good

Free

Big Finish

Google Transit and the Changing Landscape of software generally, and for transit agencies in particular

Wide variety of applications available for cost management and for ensuring the most effective of scarce resources: Service Planning, Asset Management/SOGR, Transit Data Warehousing of a variety of data types

A small sidebar on Open Source

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Transportation leadership you can trust.

presented to

New York State Public Transit Association Spring Conference

presented byEric ZieringCambridge Systematics, Inc.

June 3, 2011

Cost Cutting through Information SystemsUsing Google Transit as a Model