OC Transpo Data
Requested By: Jason White
Tagged:
transit,
oc transpo
OC Transpo data, please - stops coordinates, route schedules, live data when available. Any machine-readable format is better than none, so please don't let that stop you! CSV dumps from your database would be just fine. If you want help transforming them to Google Transit Feed Specification, just ask the community for help!
Votes in favour: 100%
Degree of contention:
Very Low
There are 33 comments:
posted May 13, 2010
route and stop information is already available in GTFS format. http://www.gtfs-data-exchange.com/agency/oc-transpo/
posted May 13, 2010
Yes, but it should be provided by the city, so we know the data is legitimate and licensed, and will be updated regularly. The above data is good for experimenting and personal use, but it's dangerous to build anything meant to be a production system using it.
posted May 13, 2010
This was my first thought too when I heard about this OpenData.
A mobile app would be perfect. Punch in the stop number and get schedules and routes for all buses.
Could also add route planning.
posted May 13, 2010
Sadly all the info is there as busses have GPS modules installed. It's just a matter of getting OCTranspo to open up that data. Can anybody think of security concerns when releasing that data?
posted May 13, 2010
From OC Transpo themselves:
1) Go to http://www.octranspo1.com/about-octranspo/reports 2) click on the link " Scheduling and bus stop data" (which currently links to http://www.octranspo1.com/files/google_transit.zip)
posted May 13, 2010
Fantastic! So why the H-E-double-hockey-sticks isn't this data already in the data catalogue?
posted May 16, 2010
I believe what is being asked for is not JUST the stop information, but the live GPS data of the position of the buses, because, as we all know, just because a stop says a bus will be there at 6:10 am doesn't mean it WILL be there at 6:10 am.
I want to be able to know the schedule and routing info as well as the actual position of buses and their status, to know about break downs, weather delays, traffic issues and yes, when rookie drivers take the wrong route (try riding the 101 sometime - its a regular occurrence.)
But right now, we can't access live, streaming bus #, status and GPS location data.
What is OCTranspo afraid of, that the public will hold them accountable?
posted May 16, 2010
BTW the above comment is from me, a member
posted May 16, 2010
I'll start with the stop & route information. Live GPS data is not yet possible for all buses, because many buses do not have the GPS systems installed.
The proposed system with the stop announcement would have included this and more, but I don't know what the status of that is. As soon as it is possible, I would like to see a web API to obtain that information.
posted May 17, 2010
According to md5, the feed that OC Transpo linked from their site is the same as the GTFS feed we've had access to for a while.
MD5 (oc-transpo201003230403.zip) = 6559ace7012537d94145ca7cb75ad159 MD5 (google_transit.zip) = 6559ace7012537d94145ca7cb75ad159
This data has some issues, the major one being that 560# stop numbers are not included. Also, the linked zip file has no version in the name, ideally there would be an RSS feed that updated when there is a schedule change. This also does not solve the issue of cancelled trips and detours, which should also be available in a live feed of some type.
posted May 17, 2010
Regarding the missing stop numbers...very true. I think I have a spreadsheet around somewhere with the concordance between the given identifiers and the 560- numbers, but this should absolutely be part of this GTFS feed.
Any response from the city on this request? Hello?
posted May 17, 2010
Sorry, that was me.
posted Jun 4, 2010
Guys... I suspect that all buses have GPS locators. When you phone 741-4390 for schedule info, you can get the current location of a bus from the operators. How do they know if not via some kind of tracking mechanism?
posted Jun 5, 2010
They don't all have them, but most of the new ones do. They are connected to their own internal tracking system. Most of the old ones that are due to be phased out over the next few years haven't had them installed yet.
That said, the system they were supposed to be purchasing to handle the stop announcements had both GPS systems on the buses, and an interface to the web. Have a look at Chicago's system - same company.
posted Jun 5, 2010
List of stops with 560 numbers is available here: http://github.com/ottawatransitauthority/ottawa-transit-feed/blob/master/lib/oc_transpo/stops.yml
The city of Ottawa has no authority on this topic. I encourage everyone to stop asking for this data and create it yourself. There is no need to wait for retarded institutions.
posted Jun 5, 2010
Thanks for the link!
OC Transpo is a department of the City of Ottawa, and has been since amalgamation. Therefore, they have absolute authority on this topic. It should be part of the open data, along with live GPS updates.
posted Jun 6, 2010
Absolute authority is an oxymoron.
posted Jun 10, 2010
I'd like the the stop_code in GTFS terms to be made available with the rest of the GTFS data.
Basically it makes it easier to import the stops into OpenStreetMap labeled with the stop number.
Thanks John
posted Jul 12, 2010
Is there any update on this development? I really like your ideas.
posted Jul 18, 2010
From yesterday’s ChangeCamp session on data set requests, it sounds like we might get some news on this soon.
posted Jul 18, 2010
Even better than the quarterly Google feed, it sounded like they will try to provide the regular (~daily) updates that their internal travel planner uses.
posted Jul 21, 2010
Almost the entire fleet is GPS equipped.
Each bus in active service has an on-board unit that receives a data packet with its route assignment for that run, called a "block."
The on-board unit constantly compares its location from the GPS output to where it should be at that moment, based on the block data. (Much of this is interpolated because the block has a finite number of location data points.)
Every two minutes, the unit phones home on the Bell network and uploads a data packet that contains the following fields: datetime, block id, route, longitude, latitude, speed, direction, and adherence to the scheduled route, expressed in +/- seconds.
I'm working on a project using these data obtained through FOI but if anyone wants to play with it, let me know. The data set for the past year is about 83 million records.
My understanding from talking to the city people is that they are currently upgrading the system that receives the uploaded data. I don't think there's any chance of an API to the live data until that process is complete.
Glen McGregor Ottawa Citizen
posted Jul 21, 2010
Also, the full data from the on-board units is retained for a while but eventually wiped. This may be used in accident investigations.
posted Jul 29, 2010
Glen what is this project you are working on?
posted Aug 23, 2010
Also, the GTFS feed is missing shapes.txt. I realize this is an optional component of the GTFS, but without it, you can't really map out a route. You can only assume that the bus route connects each bus stop in a straight line. This makes any mapping of bus routes look like they're going off-roading.
posted Sep 10, 2010
The GTFS file http://www.octranspo1.com/files/google_transit.zip is now linked from the Data Catalogue
http://www.ottawa.ca/onlineservices/opendata/info/transitschedule_en.html
A few issues: * Why isn't transit schedule listed now in the left nav? * Why does it say format SHP instead of format CSV? * It doesn't actually say anywhere in the data catalogue that it's specifically GTFS
You can see a history of file updates at http://www.gtfs-data-exchange.com/agency/oc-transpo/ - the latest is August 2010.
Hat tip to @rob_giggey for the update.
posted Oct 2, 2010
I think this is finally what we've been waiting for! http://www.apps4ottawa.ca/
posted Mar 16, 2011
And as mentionned above, the data flow is quite upredictable. Afer monthly update, from August ro December, there is no new data in March and the following month. So basically, it is not really reliable http://www.gtfs-data-exchange.com/agency/oc-transpo/
posted Aug 29, 2011
To the contrary, I find the data posted on GTFS Data Exchange and http://www.octranspo1.com/files/google_transit.zip to be completely usable. I've been tracking that data nearly as long as it's been in circulation and it's normally updated well in advance of any schedule changes. The latest arrived on August 6, 2011, well in advance of the schedule changes due for the first week of September. Ultimately, barring any errors in the data, it just represents the static schedules, so it only needs to change 4 times a year.
Realtime data, in the new GTFS realtime open format, is what we really need now.
posted Feb 9, 2012
Supposedly GPS data will be released again on March 22: http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/local/article/1081871--releasing-gps-data-earns-oc-transpo-points
posted Apr 2, 2012
I am having a hard time finding the official OC Transpo Real-Time GPS Data API... or anything at all regarding to what information developers can access.
Could someone be kind enough to point me in the right direction? Much appreciated...
posted Apr 2, 2012
http://www.gtfs-data-exchange.com/agency/oc-transpo/
??
posted Apr 3, 2012
The realtime GPS info is being leveraged here - http://www.OCBusTracker.com on a web site compatible with all mobile and desktop devices.
Email the developer if you have questions.
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