TransitScreen and MobilityData Launch OpenMobilityData, building the "OpenStreetMap for Transportation"

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- TransitScreen, a Washington, DC-based software company providing a real-time mobility information platform, launched a new open data initiative in collaboration with the non-profit MobilityData (currently incubated by the Rocky Mountain Institute). The organizations formed OpenMobilityData to accelerate the creation and sharing of global public transit, urban transportation, and shared mobility data.

"Data drives transportation more than ever before, and cities and transit agencies globally need a platform for sharing data with the private sector, app developers, and the public," said Gabe Klein, partner at Cityfi and former commissioner of Chicago and DC's departments of transportation.

OpenMobilityData has acquired TransitFeeds, the most popular mobility data commons, from its creator, Quentin Zervaas. TransitFeeds serves 6 million data requests annually for nearly 1,000 transit data feeds from 39 countries. It is the only site that supports both the GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification, originally created by TriMet and Google) and GTFS-Realtime data standards.       

"The mobility industry badly needs an open data commons with integrated tools for creating and editing mobility information, just like you can edit Wikipedia," said Matt Caywood, CEO of TransitScreen. "Data creators want to contribute their time and effort to open platforms. OpenMobilityData will do for mobility data what OpenStreetMap did for geographic data."

OpenMobilityData will be the first data commons to fully integrate with transit data editors to update data automatically. Launch partners include TransLoc Architect, GTFS Manager from Trillium Solutions, and GTFS Editor from Conveyal.

"This partnership further grows the ecosystem of data by making it all that much easier for agencies to share and manage their GTFS," said Alex Gibson, Business Owner of the Mobility Information Unit at TransLoc, a division of Ford Smart Mobility. "It's critical for transit agencies to be able to share accurate and easily accessible data."

"Complete and high-quality data is the foundation upon which the mobility industry is being built," said Leo Frachet, Technical Co-Director at MobilityData. "OpenMobilityData provides a neutral home for the whole industry to publish, visualize, and explore this data."

About TransitScreen
TransitScreen is a software company based in Washington, DC, known for its real-time displays of nearby mobility options, from public transit to bikeshare, carshare, and ridehailing services. In November, TransitScreen launched CityMotion, the first mobility app for business commuters. For more information, check out TransitScreen.com.

About MobilityData
MobilityData — a non-profit organization currently incubated by the Rocky Mountain Institute — improves information available to travelers by enhancing mobility data across the world. In collaboration with stakeholders on five continents, MobilityData works to drive adoption of standardized mobility formats, increase the completeness of data formats, and improve the accuracy and quality of data. For more information, check out MobilityData.org.

About Rocky Mountain Institute
Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)—an independent nonprofit founded in 1982—transforms global energy use to create a clean, prosperous, and secure low-carbon future. It engages businesses, communities, institutions, and entrepreneurs to accelerate the adoption of market-based solutions that cost-effectively shift from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables.

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[email protected]

SOURCE TransitScreen

Related Links

http://TransitScreen.com