Metrocard Data
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C Caldwell
Aug 12, 2010, 1:03:14 PM8/12/10
to mtadeveloperresources
Upon the originally requesting turnstile data, myself and other
developers were hoping for more usable information. Is it possible to
have metrocard data that will show real-time data such as:
1. Type of card (unlimited, regular, student, reduced-fare, employee)
2. Time and location of card usage (should indicate train or bus)
3. Date, time and vending machine (or merchant id) from which the card
was purchase
4. Card id number or serial number
5. Remaining balance or expiration-of-usage date
6. Type of swipe (i.e. entry or transfer)
Please let us know if this is possible as the developer community
would create some really cool apps from this information.
developers were hoping for more usable information. Is it possible to
have metrocard data that will show real-time data such as:
1. Type of card (unlimited, regular, student, reduced-fare, employee)
2. Time and location of card usage (should indicate train or bus)
3. Date, time and vending machine (or merchant id) from which the card
was purchase
4. Card id number or serial number
5. Remaining balance or expiration-of-usage date
6. Type of swipe (i.e. entry or transfer)
Please let us know if this is possible as the developer community
would create some really cool apps from this information.
Edward Potter
Aug 12, 2010, 2:59:48 PM8/12/10
to mtadevelop...@googlegroups.com
Great ideas, however I expect some people may think this is too much
data being released.
data being released.
Us App guys: what do mean, it's all anonymous!
Yes, and that's what Netflix and AOL said when they released simlar
"anonymous data". And they were able to trace "anonymous data" right
back to individuals.
No dear, I was for sure not visiting my old flame! Are you crazy?
Well I took your metrocard to a card reader (my brother the hacker),
grabbed the id, and I was able to trace everywhere you went for the
last week.
hmmmmmmmmmmmmm . . .
Hey, my one and only, how about we pickup those $1200 Prada shoes
you've had your eyes on forever!
We'll talk about it. :-)
And so it goes!
But hey, I'm on your side.
--
IM/iChat: ejpusa
Links: http://del.icio.us/ejpusa
Follow me: http://www.twitter.com/ejpusa
Karma: http://www.coderswithconscience.com
Jehiah Czebotar
Aug 12, 2010, 3:37:10 PM8/12/10
to mtadevelop...@googlegroups.com
I agree that the issues with releasing this data on a granular data
are privacy related, but the MTA would probably also run into issues
with manpower to provide access to the data as it is such a large
dataset.
are privacy related, but the MTA would probably also run into issues
with manpower to provide access to the data as it is such a large
dataset.
That said, this sort of dataset would be awesome. I could see a
potential way to limit the privacy issues if you could only get
metrocard data for a serial number you already knew about, but the MTA
would probably still run into issues with manpower to provide access
to the data in that format.
They should however be able to aggregate the metrocard data from buses
and release daily counts for each bus trip/line similar to the
turnstile data without any privacy implications.
--
Jehiah
Kaufman, Sarah
Aug 12, 2010, 4:53:18 PM8/12/10
to mtadevelop...@googlegroups.com
Hi all,
Thanks for all your enthusiasm on this topic.
When we considered how best to release MetroCard data, we decided not to release any potentially personally identifying information, which most of the categories in the original post would involve, and as discussed colorfully by Ed. There's great potential for stalking, credit card theft, and other forms of privacy invasion if serial numbers were released with usage or purchase data. That's why we went with what are now the turnstile data sets, which actually reflect turnstile rotations and not MetroCard swipes.
And to address Jehiah's earlier email, I'm looking into the issue with turnstile data updates. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
To address Jehiah's point about looking up data for specific serial numbers, that's available on newer Easy Pay Xpress MetroCards: http://www.mta.info/metrocard/EasyPayXpress.htm - I believe you can monitor your own activity, if that's of interest.
As for the request of MetroCard data in real-time, that's not possible, since we calculate usage on a daily or weekly basis, and not in real-time.
Finally, as I mentioned in an earlier email, we're pretty short-staffed at the moment, so it'll take longer than usual for updates, fixes, etc, not to mention the generation of new data sets. However, we will put out necessary GTFS updates as soon as possible.
Hope that helps to clear up some questions.
Sarah
Thanks for all your enthusiasm on this topic.
When we considered how best to release MetroCard data, we decided not to release any potentially personally identifying information, which most of the categories in the original post would involve, and as discussed colorfully by Ed. There's great potential for stalking, credit card theft, and other forms of privacy invasion if serial numbers were released with usage or purchase data. That's why we went with what are now the turnstile data sets, which actually reflect turnstile rotations and not MetroCard swipes.
And to address Jehiah's earlier email, I'm looking into the issue with turnstile data updates. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
To address Jehiah's point about looking up data for specific serial numbers, that's available on newer Easy Pay Xpress MetroCards: http://www.mta.info/metrocard/EasyPayXpress.htm - I believe you can monitor your own activity, if that's of interest.
As for the request of MetroCard data in real-time, that's not possible, since we calculate usage on a daily or weekly basis, and not in real-time.
Finally, as I mentioned in an earlier email, we're pretty short-staffed at the moment, so it'll take longer than usual for updates, fixes, etc, not to mention the generation of new data sets. However, we will put out necessary GTFS updates as soon as possible.
Hope that helps to clear up some questions.
Sarah
C Caldwell
Aug 13, 2010, 2:16:28 PM8/13/10
to mtadeveloperresources
Hi All,
Just a thought...
How many times have we've seen someone board a bus, swipe their
metrocard, and hear that annoying 'buzzer' sound-off when a card has
'Insufficient Fare'. (lol) Then everyone behind them has to back off
the bus to let them off. Or they try to solicit exact change from
someone on the bus - to no avail. I'm sure everyone has left their
house in the morning wondering: How did so many metrocards get in my
wallet? or which one of these metrocards has any money on it?
Wouldn't it be nice to have a smartphone application that would allow
you to check your metrocard balance? A simple GUI with a textbox to
enter your serial number and press 'Submit'.
On Aug 12, 4:53 pm, "Kaufman, Sarah" <Sarah.Kauf...@nyct.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
> Thanks for all your enthusiasm on this topic.
> When we considered how best to release MetroCard data, we decided not to release any potentially personally identifying information, which most of the categories in the original post would involve, and as discussed colorfully by Ed. There's great potential for stalking, credit card theft, and other forms of privacy invasion if serial numbers were released with usage or purchase data. That's why we went with what are now the turnstile data sets, which actually reflect turnstile rotations and not MetroCard swipes.
>
> And to address Jehiah's earlier email, I'm looking into the issue with turnstile data updates. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
>
> To address Jehiah's point about looking up data for specific serial numbers, that's available on newer Easy Pay Xpress MetroCards:http://www.mta.info/metrocard/EasyPayXpress.htm- I believe you can monitor your own activity, if that's of interest.
>
> - Show quoted text -
Just a thought...
How many times have we've seen someone board a bus, swipe their
metrocard, and hear that annoying 'buzzer' sound-off when a card has
'Insufficient Fare'. (lol) Then everyone behind them has to back off
the bus to let them off. Or they try to solicit exact change from
someone on the bus - to no avail. I'm sure everyone has left their
house in the morning wondering: How did so many metrocards get in my
wallet? or which one of these metrocards has any money on it?
Wouldn't it be nice to have a smartphone application that would allow
you to check your metrocard balance? A simple GUI with a textbox to
enter your serial number and press 'Submit'.
On Aug 12, 4:53 pm, "Kaufman, Sarah" <Sarah.Kauf...@nyct.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
> Thanks for all your enthusiasm on this topic.
> When we considered how best to release MetroCard data, we decided not to release any potentially personally identifying information, which most of the categories in the original post would involve, and as discussed colorfully by Ed. There's great potential for stalking, credit card theft, and other forms of privacy invasion if serial numbers were released with usage or purchase data. That's why we went with what are now the turnstile data sets, which actually reflect turnstile rotations and not MetroCard swipes.
>
> And to address Jehiah's earlier email, I'm looking into the issue with turnstile data updates. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
>
>
> As for the request of MetroCard data in real-time, that's not possible, since we calculate usage on a daily or weekly basis, and not in real-time.
>
> Finally, as I mentioned in an earlier email, we're pretty short-staffed at the moment, so it'll take longer than usual for updates, fixes, etc, not to mention the generation of new data sets. However, we will put out necessary GTFS updates as soon as possible.
>
> Hope that helps to clear up some questions.
>
> Sarah
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mtadevelop...@googlegroups.com [mailto:mtadevelop...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Jehiah Czebotar
> Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2010 3:37 PM
> To: mtadevelop...@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: [MTAdev] Metrocard Data
>
> I agree that the issues with releasing this data on a granular data
> are privacy related, but the MTA would probably also run into issues
> with manpower to provide access to the data as it is such a large
> dataset.
>
> That said, this sort of dataset would be awesome. I could see a
> potential way to limit the privacy issues if you could only get
> metrocard data for a serial number you already knew about, but the MTA
> would probably still run into issues with manpower to provide access
> to the data in that format.
>
> They should however be able to aggregate the metrocard data from buses
> and release daily counts for each bus trip/line similar to the
> turnstile data without any privacy implications.
>
> --
> Jehiah
>
> As for the request of MetroCard data in real-time, that's not possible, since we calculate usage on a daily or weekly basis, and not in real-time.
>
> Finally, as I mentioned in an earlier email, we're pretty short-staffed at the moment, so it'll take longer than usual for updates, fixes, etc, not to mention the generation of new data sets. However, we will put out necessary GTFS updates as soon as possible.
>
> Hope that helps to clear up some questions.
>
> Sarah
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mtadevelop...@googlegroups.com [mailto:mtadevelop...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Jehiah Czebotar
> Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2010 3:37 PM
> To: mtadevelop...@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: [MTAdev] Metrocard Data
>
> I agree that the issues with releasing this data on a granular data
> are privacy related, but the MTA would probably also run into issues
> with manpower to provide access to the data as it is such a large
> dataset.
>
> That said, this sort of dataset would be awesome. I could see a
> potential way to limit the privacy issues if you could only get
> metrocard data for a serial number you already knew about, but the MTA
> would probably still run into issues with manpower to provide access
> to the data in that format.
>
> They should however be able to aggregate the metrocard data from buses
> and release daily counts for each bus trip/line similar to the
> turnstile data without any privacy implications.
>
> --
> Jehiah
>
> On Thu, Aug 12, 2010 at 2:59 PM, Edward Potter <edwardpot...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Great ideas, however I expect some people may think this is too much
> > data being released.
>
> > Us App guys: what do mean, it's all anonymous!
>
> > Yes, and that's what Netflix and AOL said when they released simlar
> > "anonymous data". And they were able to trace "anonymous data" right
> > back to individuals.
>
> > No dear, I was for sure not visiting my old flame! Are you crazy?
> > Well I took your metrocard to a card reader (my brother the hacker),
> > grabbed the id, and I was able to trace everywhere you went for the
> > last week.
> > hmmmmmmmmmmmmm . . .
> > Hey, my one and only, how about we pickup those $1200 Prada shoes
> > you've had your eyes on forever!
> > We'll talk about it. :-)
>
> > And so it goes!
>
> > But hey, I'm on your side.
>
> > Great ideas, however I expect some people may think this is too much
> > data being released.
>
> > Us App guys: what do mean, it's all anonymous!
>
> > Yes, and that's what Netflix and AOL said when they released simlar
> > "anonymous data". And they were able to trace "anonymous data" right
> > back to individuals.
>
> > No dear, I was for sure not visiting my old flame! Are you crazy?
> > Well I took your metrocard to a card reader (my brother the hacker),
> > grabbed the id, and I was able to trace everywhere you went for the
> > last week.
> > hmmmmmmmmmmmmm . . .
> > Hey, my one and only, how about we pickup those $1200 Prada shoes
> > you've had your eyes on forever!
> > We'll talk about it. :-)
>
> > And so it goes!
>
> > But hey, I'm on your side.
>
> > On Thu, Aug 12, 2010 at 1:03 PM, C Caldwell <chiu...@msn.com> wrote:
> >> Upon the originally requesting turnstile data, myself and other
> >> developers were hoping for more usable information. Is it possible to
> >> have metrocard data that will show real-time data such as:
>
> >> 1. Type of card (unlimited, regular, student, reduced-fare, employee)
> >> 2. Time and location of card usage (should indicate train or bus)
> >> 3. Date, time and vending machine (or merchant id) from which the card
> >> was purchase
> >> 4. Card id number or serial number
> >> 5. Remaining balance or expiration-of-usage date
> >> 6. Type of swipe (i.e. entry or transfer)
>
> >> Please let us know if this is possible as the developer community
> >> would create some really cool apps from this information.
>
> > --
> > IM/iChat: ejpusa
> > Links:http://del.icio.us/ejpusa
> > Follow me:http://www.twitter.com/ejpusa
> > Karma:http://www.coderswithconscience.com- Hide quoted text -
> >> Upon the originally requesting turnstile data, myself and other
> >> developers were hoping for more usable information. Is it possible to
> >> have metrocard data that will show real-time data such as:
>
> >> 1. Type of card (unlimited, regular, student, reduced-fare, employee)
> >> 2. Time and location of card usage (should indicate train or bus)
> >> 3. Date, time and vending machine (or merchant id) from which the card
> >> was purchase
> >> 4. Card id number or serial number
> >> 5. Remaining balance or expiration-of-usage date
> >> 6. Type of swipe (i.e. entry or transfer)
>
> >> Please let us know if this is possible as the developer community
> >> would create some really cool apps from this information.
>
> > --
> > IM/iChat: ejpusa
> > Links:http://del.icio.us/ejpusa
> > Follow me:http://www.twitter.com/ejpusa
>
> - Show quoted text -
Samuel Wong
Aug 13, 2010, 2:24:34 PM8/13/10
to mtadevelop...@googlegroups.com
EasyPayXpress has this option of tracking funds, but it doesn't update until the end of the day (I would presume 5 PM daily). But, yes, a GREAT idea. This would probably make people keep their MetroCards longer. A sense of ownership can go a long way--a consumer wouldn't want to enter the MetroCard serial code every time they check on the balance.--
Samuel Wong
OpenPlans | 148 Lafayette St, Floor 12, New York, NY 10013
http://openplans.org | w/f (917) 388-9042 | m: (646) 484-9142 | @samjwong
swong.o...@gmail.com
Please consider the environment before printing this message.
Government is a trust, and the officers of the government are trustees. And both the trust and the trustees are created for the benefit of the people. -Henry Clay
Samuel Wong
OpenPlans | 148 Lafayette St, Floor 12, New York, NY 10013
http://openplans.org | w/f (917) 388-9042 | m: (646) 484-9142 | @samjwong
swong.o...@gmail.com
Please consider the environment before printing this message.
Government is a trust, and the officers of the government are trustees. And both the trust and the trustees are created for the benefit of the people. -Henry Clay
Edwin
Aug 16, 2010, 1:34:05 PM8/16/10
to mtadevelop...@googlegroups.com
I'd love a read-only api. I've had similar express bus experiences. One card had only $2. The next card I swiped had the full fare, so I over paid. Also in Staten Island we don't have train stations nearby that allow us to quickly check our balance. It's not easy carrying the full express bus fare in your pockets, when you're doubtful of the balance on your card. All I need is api access.
Kaufman, Sarah
Aug 18, 2010, 10:46:25 AM8/18/10
to mtadevelop...@googlegroups.com
Hi all,
I sent a similar response to Edwin off the list, but just to clarify for the larger group:
I sent a similar response to Edwin off the list, but just to clarify for the larger group:
I understand that it would be great to check MetroCard balances online, but at this point, the information on our end is just not available in real time. When you take the bus, your balance is stored on your card and on the bus farebox. When the bus returns to the depot, the farebox is probed for payment info, and the information is transferred to the controller, but that's several hours after you take the bus, or possibly the next day if there's a network issue. As such, posted information would contain "inaccuracies," which defeats the purpose of having the system.
That being said, we're working on new payment technologies - check ridenynj.com and http://www.mta.info/metrocard/EasyPayXpress.htm - that will update accounts in real-time, and will allow you to check your balance when you'd like.
The capability is coming, it's just not here yet.
Thanks,
eric
Oct 1, 2010, 9:57:33 PM10/1/10
to mtadeveloperresources
not really on topic with this thread but,
to solve the 'multiple metrocard' problem mentioned before, maybe we
can adapt shanghai's system. their swipe cards ( given its a
advanced magnetic swipe cards) requires a $20-$25 refundable deposit.
This also prevents getting muliple cards as an environmental and
production standpoint. and also, each one can have a unique serial in
which you can check balance and acitivty online, as if it were a store
giftcard (like the easy interface from starbucks)
> > > Karma:http://www.coderswithconscience.com-Hide quoted text -
> swong.openpl...@gmail.com
> 9KViewDownload- Hide quoted text -
to solve the 'multiple metrocard' problem mentioned before, maybe we
can adapt shanghai's system. their swipe cards ( given its a
advanced magnetic swipe cards) requires a $20-$25 refundable deposit.
This also prevents getting muliple cards as an environmental and
production standpoint. and also, each one can have a unique serial in
which you can check balance and acitivty online, as if it were a store
giftcard (like the easy interface from starbucks)
> I sent a similar response to Edwin off the list, but just to clarify for the larger group:
>
> I understand that it would be great to check MetroCard balances online, but at this point, the information on our end is just not available in real time. When you take the bus, your balance is stored on your card and on the bus farebox. When the bus returns to the depot, the farebox is probed for payment info, and the information is transferred to the controller, but that's several hours after you take the bus, or possibly the next day if there's a network issue. As such, posted information would contain "inaccuracies," which defeats the purpose of having the system.
> That being said, we're working on new payment technologies - check ridenynj.com andhttp://www.mta.info/metrocard/EasyPayXpress.htm- that will update accounts in real-time, and will allow you to check your balance when you'd like.
>
> I understand that it would be great to check MetroCard balances online, but at this point, the information on our end is just not available in real time. When you take the bus, your balance is stored on your card and on the bus farebox. When the bus returns to the depot, the farebox is probed for payment info, and the information is transferred to the controller, but that's several hours after you take the bus, or possibly the next day if there's a network issue. As such, posted information would contain "inaccuracies," which defeats the purpose of having the system.
> The capability is coming, it's just not here yet.
>
> Thanks,
> Sarah
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mtadevelop...@googlegroups.com on behalf of Samuel Wong
> Sent: Fri 8/13/2010 2:24 PM
> To: mtadevelop...@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: [MTAdev] Re: Metrocard Data
>
> EasyPayXpress has this option of tracking funds, but it doesn't update until the end of the day (I would presume 5 PM daily). But, yes, a GREAT idea. This would probably make people keep their MetroCards longer. A sense of ownership can go a long way--a consumer wouldn't want to enter the MetroCard serial code every time they check on the balance.
>
>
> Thanks,
> Sarah
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mtadevelop...@googlegroups.com on behalf of Samuel Wong
> Sent: Fri 8/13/2010 2:24 PM
> To: mtadevelop...@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: [MTAdev] Re: Metrocard Data
>
> EasyPayXpress has this option of tracking funds, but it doesn't update until the end of the day (I would presume 5 PM daily). But, yes, a GREAT idea. This would probably make people keep their MetroCards longer. A sense of ownership can go a long way--a consumer wouldn't want to enter the MetroCard serial code every time they check on the balance.
>
> On Fri, Aug 13, 2010 at 2:16 PM, C Caldwell <chiu...@msn.com> wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> Just a thought...
>
> How many times have we've seen someone board a bus, swipe their
> metrocard, and hear that annoying 'buzzer' sound-off when a card has
> 'Insufficient Fare'. (lol) Then everyone behind them has to back off
> the bus to let them off. Or they try to solicit exact change from
> someone on the bus - to no avail. I'm sure everyone has left their
> house in the morning wondering: How did so many metrocards get in my
> wallet? or which one of these metrocards has any money on it?
>
> Wouldn't it be nice to have a smartphone application that would allow
> you to check your metrocard balance? A simple GUI with a textbox to
> enter your serial number and press 'Submit'.
>
> On Aug 12, 4:53 pm, "Kaufman, Sarah" <Sarah.Kauf...@nyct.com> wrote:
> > Hi all,
> > Thanks for all your enthusiasm on this topic.
> > When we considered how best to release MetroCard data, we decided not to release any potentially personally identifying information, which most of the categories in the original post would involve, and as discussed colorfully by Ed. There's great potential for stalking, credit card theft, and other forms of privacy invasion if serial numbers were released with usage or purchase data. That's why we went with what are now the turnstile data sets, which actually reflect turnstile rotations and not MetroCard swipes.
>
> > And to address Jehiah's earlier email, I'm looking into the issue with turnstile data updates. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
>
> > To address Jehiah's point about looking up data for specific serial numbers, that's available on newer Easy Pay Xpress MetroCards:http://www.mta.info/metrocard/EasyPayXpress.htm-I believe you can monitor your own activity, if that's of interest.
>
> Hi All,
>
> Just a thought...
>
> How many times have we've seen someone board a bus, swipe their
> metrocard, and hear that annoying 'buzzer' sound-off when a card has
> 'Insufficient Fare'. (lol) Then everyone behind them has to back off
> the bus to let them off. Or they try to solicit exact change from
> someone on the bus - to no avail. I'm sure everyone has left their
> house in the morning wondering: How did so many metrocards get in my
> wallet? or which one of these metrocards has any money on it?
>
> Wouldn't it be nice to have a smartphone application that would allow
> you to check your metrocard balance? A simple GUI with a textbox to
> enter your serial number and press 'Submit'.
>
> On Aug 12, 4:53 pm, "Kaufman, Sarah" <Sarah.Kauf...@nyct.com> wrote:
> > Hi all,
> > Thanks for all your enthusiasm on this topic.
> > When we considered how best to release MetroCard data, we decided not to release any potentially personally identifying information, which most of the categories in the original post would involve, and as discussed colorfully by Ed. There's great potential for stalking, credit card theft, and other forms of privacy invasion if serial numbers were released with usage or purchase data. That's why we went with what are now the turnstile data sets, which actually reflect turnstile rotations and not MetroCard swipes.
>
> > And to address Jehiah's earlier email, I'm looking into the issue with turnstile data updates. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
>
>
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> --
> Samuel Wong
> OpenPlans | 148 Lafayette St, Floor 12, New York, NY 10013http://openplans.org| w/f (917) 388-9042 | m: (646) 484-9142 | @samjwong
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> --
> Samuel Wong
> swong.openpl...@gmail.com
> Please consider the environment before printing this message.
>
> Government is a trust, and the officers of the government are trustees. And both the trust and the trustees are created for the benefit of the people. -Henry Clay
>
>
>
> winmail.dat
>
> Government is a trust, and the officers of the government are trustees. And both the trust and the trustees are created for the benefit of the people. -Henry Clay
>
>
>
> 9KViewDownload- Hide quoted text -
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