Re: Digest for open-data-ottawa--oc-tranpo-gps-api@googlegroups.com - 3 Messages in 1 Topic

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Open Hamilton

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Mar 21, 2011, 10:45:33 AM3/21/11
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Sounds like bureaucratic spin to me. Chicago's GPS data is real-time and used by third-parties: http://uchicago.transloc.com/

From an outsider's viewpoint, I live in Hamilton and am involved with Open Hamilton, it appears they were embarassed by the Citizen's data journalism and trying to lock down their data. Ironically, they are merely increasing the odds of a Citizen follow-up next year. The information will be locked down and more valuable as an FOI request to a news organization.

It's a shame that OCTranspo is fighting this battle. Meanwhile, the TTC is rolling out more GPS data. (The difference may be that the TTC suffered a user revolt last year and realized they could no longer get away with poor customer service.)

- Joey Coleman

On Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 7:16 AM, <open-data-ottawa--oc-...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Group: http://groups.google.com/group/open-data-ottawa--oc-tranpo-gps-api/topics

    John Bain <john...@gmail.com> Mar 20 11:45PM -0400 ^
     
    Reading that annoys me!
    To add insult to injury I was at the Queensway station waiting for my bus
    and i noticed that the OC transpo mobi site and the schedule board at the
    stop showed 2 different times for the same bus that ended up being late
    anyways ...
     

     

    Don Kelly <kar...@gmail.com> Mar 21 12:27AM -0400 ^
     
    One part which caught my eye, on re-reading, was:
     
    "As well, there are several issues related to the open data model,
    such as enabling third parties to deliver OC Transpo real-time bus
    arrival information, which if it were to continue, could create false
    expectations and negative results for our customers. These third
    parties are not delivering real-time data but a forecast based on the
    data they have, which may or may not be consistent with what is
    happening in actual operations. Control of real-time data by the
    transit authority is consistent with what other transit authorities
    throughout North America are doing, such as the Chicago Transit
    Authority."
     
    What's meant by "forecast"? Was the feed that the node.js site was
    consuming only a forecast? Or, is he trying to spin the conversation
    to suggest that the "real time" apps are only working predictively
    from the static schedule? AFAICT, the feed we were consuming was not a
    forecast but the actual data out of the stop announcement system (or a
    sibling of that system).
     
    Anyone know the answer?
     
    Don/
     
    --
    karfai [AT] gmail.com
    http://www.strangeware.ca
    http://blog.strangeware.ca

     


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