Christopher DesanyChief Information Officer

Capital District Transportation Authority

November 13, 2008

Technology Transfer and New Paradigms in Transit Information Architecture

Technology Showcases

Issue Comparison

Web 2.0

(Tim O’Reilly)

Cloud Computing• Platforms – Dynamic deployment of servers as needed.

We will not discuss this today.• Applications – Extended Internet accessible services• Employs Software as a Service (SaaS) and Web 2.0

models • Focus on business value and not logistical details of

deployment

Cloud Computing• Organizations are switching from company-owned

hardware and software assets to per-use service-based models" and that the "projected shift to cloud computing will result in dramatic growth in IT products in some areas and in significant reductions in other areas". (Gartner)

• Amazon, and more specifically, Google use this technology which can be leveraged by transit agencies for a fraction of the cost of what it would take to do it ourselves

Cloud Computing• Improve utilization by pooling

resources only for as long as needed

• Virtualization, blade, and SAN technology helps enable cloud computing

• 511

(Sam Johnston)

Mashups• Draw upon content retrieved from external data sources

to create entirely new and innovative services.• Aggregate and stitch together third party data• Mapping is a common Mashup• Have planning look at performance differently by

integrating schedule, farebox and running time information across service providers

• Compare against economic development impact

Mashups

Mashups

Mashups

Technology Showcases• Google Labs• Microsoft Research• Yahoo! Next• Third party companies that leverage open-source, or

pre-existing platforms (transittrips.com)• Proprietary systems are expensive to update and

maintain, and in many cases don’t help other properties/riders

Google Transit at CDTA• 63% have household annual income of

less than $25k• Easiest way to get CDTA Information:

• 57% Call • 31% Web Site• 31% Printed Schedules

• www.cdta.org• 89% rated the site as good

or excellent• 43% have visited cdta.org • 43% were aware of it,

but have not visited• 14% were not aware of the web site

Google Transit at CDTA• All about options• Provides unique benefits to subset of riders

• out of town riders• Gmail users, bloggers, etc…

• Data requirements – OIG file • Required upgrade to Hastus 2007

• Street View• Live Traffic-Construction-Incidents * (Trips123)• Photos-Landmarks• Walking, Car or Transit Directions• Reverse directions, alternate trip options

CDTA Developer (GTFS)

Create Your Own Services

• …and publish for consumption• Developer.cdta.org

CDTA Developer

"Really" Smart Phones• Push technology based on personalization and rider

demographics.• Trip paths• Not just ridership, but where specifically an individual got

on and off• Advertisements to promote businesses• Personalization advertising based on travel history• Unique identifiers for signs to trigger SMS messages• RFID tags in signs (or via GPS) to trigger and

automatically send trip information

Enhanced Information• Algorithms that compute and communicate passenger

throughput and make recommendation• “Next bus has standing load, you’d be better off waiting

for following bus”• “Next bus has standing load, you’d be better off walking

to different stop – here are the directions”• Cost Metrics

• Cost to operate not just service, but a route, or a section of route• Hidden costs

Sprint ReadyNow“Come into a select Sprint Store,

and we'll personalize your phone, set up your email, voicemail, data and everything else. Then we'll show you how it works, one-on-one. So you can take advantage of all the cool things phones can do these days. Without the hassle”.

Why not add preload regional transit applications?

Collaborative Communities

• Create community that ties in:• Paratransit customers, fixed route customers, advertisers,

community groups, employers and employees, students• E-mail and mailing addresses• Photo identification• Message boards, blogs, usenet newsgroups, surveys• Portals• Don’t just require subscribers to pull, figure out how to push• Capture what people want, when they want (ON THE VEHICLE,

AT THIS TIME!)• Who is really riding the service?

Business Partnerships

Technology Showcases

National Technology Transfer Center

Congress established the Robert C. Byrd National Technology Transfer Center in 1989 to link U.S. industry with federal labs and universities that have the technologies facilities and researchers that industry needs to maximize product development opportunities. With operations in Wheeling, W.Va., and Alexandria, Va., the National Technology Transfer Center provides technology assessment services and develops lasting partnerships among industry, academia and government agencies.

Conclusion and Questions