A screenshot on traffic conditions in Lower Manhattan at 3:30 PM. (Google Maps for Android)
Yesterday morning Nick Grossman and I attended a developers’ meeting at the NYC Department of Transportation to brainstorm some ideas to better enhance the open data movement at the agency. The room was very well-balanced in terms of attendance between developers and DOT officials, and there were some interesting requests from the development/programming community.
Real-time data and the consolidation/aggregation of NYC transportation data were two general areas of importance to the DOT and development/academic community. In the long run, the DOT hopes to provide real-time traffic information along with improving delivery truck routing around low bridges on their data feed portal. They mentioned that like many New Yorkers, Mayor Michael Bloomberg would prefer knowing the traffic conditions ahead of time and not getting delayed for meetings and events in Midtown traffic. Better real-time traffic data will be the foundation for building apps to help New Yorkers navigate congested streets. Moreover, better transportation apps could help people make more informed transportation choices, thereby building a more sustainable city.
Thus, the DOT is seeking the talents in the developer community to help build solutions.
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