TransitScreen and MobilityData have integrated to form OpenMobilityData. The new platform will provide real-time data about global public transit, urban transportation, and shared mobility data.
“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.
OpenMobilityData has also acquired TransitFeeds, a transportation data provider that 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) and GTFS-Realtime data standards.
Most transit data projects are supported by a specific locality. The globalization of transit data could provide better information to travelers, businesses and law enforcement. Mobility patterns can improve transit decisions, supply chain planning and help understand and prepare for events. The group of launch partners on OpenMobilityData suggests that there is support for a move toward data globalization.
The first test case for the new data offering will be with City Motion, the first real-time app for business commuters launched in November. City Motion is known for its real-time displays of mobility options including public transit, bikeshare, carshare and ride-hailing services.
