GTFS "realtime" format

[Don Kelly]

If there are still ongoing discussions with the City, perhaps
OCTranspo could release the real time data using the new "realtime"
format: http://googlecode.blogspot.com/2011/08/introducing-gtfs-realtime-to-exchange.html

They're already doing GTFS, maybe this isn't too much to ask?

Don/

--
karfai [AT] gmail.com
http://www.strangeware.ca
http://blog.strangeware.ca

[swf...@gmail.com]

I just asked my councillor, Mathieu Fleury about this.

He claimed he was very interested in the issue and constantly raising at meetings with OC Transpo.

However, when I followed up in June and asked if he had any update, he never replied.

I followed up again a week ago and his assistant claimed his emails back to me bounced -- really not credible, as my gmail box is far from full.

I pointed him at the gtfs posting by google -- but got no response.

In short, don't hold your breath, but it may still be worth a bit of polite lobbying.

John

[Don Kelly]

On Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 15:22, swf...@gmail.com <swf...@gmail.com> wrote:
> In short, don't hold your breath, but it may still be worth a bit of polite
> lobbying.
>

Any idea whether the malfunction is apathy or some malicious?

[swf...@gmail.com]

Probably just apathy.   I may also be doing him a disservice as he claims to be lobbying hard on the issue.

Just not sure the gtfs message is getting through.

[Michael Richardson]

>>>>> "swfiua" == swfiua <swf...@gmail.com> writes:
swfiua> I just asked my councillor, Mathieu Fleury about this.

swfiua> He claimed he was very interested in the issue and
swfiua> constantly raising at meetings with OC Transpo.

swfiua> However, when I followed up in June and asked if he had any
swfiua> update, he never replied.

swfiua> I followed up again a week ago and his assistant claimed his
swfiua> emails back to me bounced -- really not credible, as my
swfiua> gmail box is far from full.

yes, but the city of Ottawa runs Exchange ... HOSTED BY MICROSOFT, and
Exchange screws up outgoing email if DNS is particularly slow.

--
] He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life! | firewalls [
] Michael Richardson, Sandelman Software Works, Ottawa, ON |net architect[
] m...@sandelman.ottawa.on.ca http://www.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca/ |device driver[
Kyoto Plus: watch the video <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzx1ycLXQSE>
then sign the petition.

[Alex Lougheed]

Hey all.

I've been in rather regular touch with the open data folk in Ottawa city IT. They are well aware of the OC Transpo live GPS issue, and are actively working on it. They're going to formally request it from OC Transpo soon, if they have not already. The GTFS incorporation of live data is news to me though, and I've forwarded it on to those folk.

The long and short is, OC Transpo knows we want this. It might not be a priority for them, but they're on board with the idea. The City is aware we want this. They're pushing for it. Not much malice around.

My estimate is 3 months until we have it. Keep up the contact with council though--the more aware, the better!

Alex

[Don Kelly]

On Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 20:58, Alex Lougheed <alou...@gmail.com> wrote:
> My estimate is 3 months until we have it. Keep up the contact with council
> though--the more aware, the better!
> Alex
>

3 months? Sometime around November then... It's good that they're on
it, I suppose. I have to ask: There was a feed (that sort of worked)
which got removed almost 8 months ago. What's so special about this
data that freeing it into a consumable format should take so long?

[Alex Lougheed]

That's a pure guestimate on my part, given what I've heard. The special bit is comfort on behalf of the staff, and bureaucratic politics.

TO just got live bus gps data though, which'll speed up things on OC Transpo's end... hopefully.

[rob_giggey]

I might be able to add something to the conversation.

Our understanding (the City's IT Department and the OpenData program)
is that OC Transpo has a target of October for re-releasing the live
data feed. The understanding we have is that they are waiting to
complete the upgrades to their GPS equipment and were not comfortable
with the quality of the data. I can't speak much to this except that
the decision was/is in the hands of OC Transpo and not the OpenData
program or ITS. We fully support the release of this data stream and
will be doing what we can to help make this happen in the coming
weeks.

I'd like to echo what Alex said re: contacting Councillors. In order
for them to know what's of priority for residents they partially rely
on what they hear from them directly, so I would encourage people that
believe this is imporant and should be done to let their Councillors
know, but also those Councillors that sit on the Transit Commission
and the IT Sub-Committee. This can only help in making that target
date happen. http://www.ottawa.ca/city_hall/mayor_council/standing_committees/index_en.html

Alternatively, or additionally, you can email the open...@ottawa.ca
email account to register your request (again volume can be a powerful
influencer), or register the request on the dataott.org site where
there is a request posted which you can vote on and comment:
http://www.dataott.org/app/need/show/4.

Hope this helps,

Robert Giggey | City of Ottawa OpenData Lead

On Aug 26, 9:36 pm, Alex Lougheed <alough...@gmail.com> wrote:
> That's a pure guestimate on my part, given what I've heard. The special bit
> is comfort on behalf of the staff, and bureaucratic politics.
>
> TO just got live bus gps data though, which'll speed up things on OC
> Transpo's end... hopefully.
>
>
>
> On Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 9:07 PM, Don Kelly <kar...@gmail.com> wrote:

> > On Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 20:58, Alex Lougheed <alough...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > My estimate is 3 months until we have it. Keep up the contact with
> > council
> > > though--the more aware, the better!
> > > Alex
>
> > 3 months? Sometime around November then... It's good that they're on
> > it, I suppose. I have to ask: There was a feed (that sort of worked)
> > which got removed almost 8 months ago. What's so special about this
> > data that freeing it into a consumable format should take so long?
>
> > Don/
>
> > --
> > karfai [AT] gmail.com
> >http://www.strangeware.ca

> >http://blog.strangeware.ca- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Don Kelly]

On Sun, Aug 28, 2011 at 22:04, rob_giggey <robert...@ottawa.ca> wrote:
> Our understanding (the City's IT Department and the OpenData program)
> is that OC Transpo has a target of October for re-releasing the live
> data feed.  The understanding we have is that they are waiting to
> complete the upgrades to their GPS equipment and were not comfortable
> with the quality of the data.  I can't speak much to this except that
> the decision was/is in the hands of OC Transpo and not the OpenData
> program or ITS.  We fully support the release of this data stream and
> will be doing what we can to help make this happen in the coming
> weeks.
>

I look forward to seeing the new stream come online soonish. When the
realtime data was available, I didn't find it as erroneous as articles
on the subject had suggested. In fact, the only real problem I had was
the number of buses (usually locals) that indicated they weren't
transmitting adherence data (a particular field was "false").

If you're talking to the technical people involved in the feed, you
might mention that a decent time synchronization point would be an
incredibly useful addition. In the previous feed, the adherence times
were measured against some unknown time source that wasn't in sync
with network time (NTP). The same problem exists in the GTFS feed:
Arrival is measured in seconds since midnight, but after observing the
adherence time posted next to the drivers via the MK devices, I've
noticed this isn't in sync with the network time on my mobile device
and/or network server.

>
> Alternatively, or additionally, you can email the open...@ottawa.ca
> email account to register your request (again volume can be a powerful
> influencer), or register the request on the dataott.org site where
> there is a request posted which you can vote on and comment:
> http://www.dataott.org/app/need/show/4.
>

Commented with applause for the GTFS feed.

Thanks.