Understanding Public Transport Networks using

Free and Open Source Software

Patrick Sunter: PhD Candidate in Architecture Building and Planning, University of Melbourne Presentation 12 May in GEOM90008, Foundations of Spatial Information Subject

Acknowledgment: maps produced during this presentation have been part of collaborative work with Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE).

Context of my PhD

  Interpretive Action-Research Paradigm using:-   Co-Development of Tools   Participant Observation   Interviews,   Focus Groups,   Artifact Analysis

PhD: Focus is on exploring Free & Open Source software as a potential means of increasing civil society organisation’s ability to engage with Metropolitan-scale transport planning and propose alternative futures

Partner Organisations:- * Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) * Public Transport Users Association (PTUA)

Network image from HiTrans Best Practice Guide (Nielsen et al, 2005). Photo credits: www.pt4me2.org.au, Wikimedia commons user "voland b", Flickr user "avlxyz”. Travel time map from www.mapumental.com.

Selecting Tools and Goals   What sort of technical analysis and communication

one can perform is a function of not just goals but available expertise, tools, and data.

  With both project partners, after design and tools review we’ve focused on GIS-based analysis of public transport network performance (next slide)

  Work with BZE in the context of a larger project that included aspects of 4-step model etc.

Target Capability: Public Transport Network Analysis

  “Travel Time Maps” (Isochrone maps)

  Display either:-   Locations reachable from a

given origin in a given time;   ‘Catchment’ to reach a given

destination

  Generally involve A* network calculation but can be optimised.

  Good because they indicate overall network quality, including interchanges

Travel time map from www.mapumental.com.

Data: GTFS and OpenStreetMap   GTFS = “General Transit Feed

Specification’

  developers.google.com/transit/

  Emerged in mid 2000s from Portland TriMet and Google’s 20% time

  Plaintext format: Entire GTFS feed of Portland is ~169 Mb

  Live feeds available from 376+ agencies, see:- www.gtfs-data-exchange.com/

  Now available for all AU state capitals, not yet Melbourne (though other data released ~Mar 2014)

  Quite strong ecosystem of tools, apps to process & work with this format

  (* re Territories, not sure about Darwin?)

Top diagram courtesy Martin Davis via http://lin-ear-th-inking.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/data-model-diagrams-for-gtfs.html

OpenTripPlanner   Open Source software that at core is a fast Journey Planner

(algorithms for time-dependent route-finding), collaboration between Portland’s TriMet and several researchers, + OpenPlans organisation

  Primarily Java-based, built on other standards and software such as Tomcat (web services), Leaflet for web application.

Progress with OpenTripPlanner   With a mixture of running existing Open Source tools –

especially OpenTripPlanner and Quantum GIS, and some scripting and GIS work, we’ve developed useful visualisations.

OTP Post-Processed in QGIS

Extending Potential to ‘Before and After’ Analysis

  Workflow:-   Assembling original new routes and stops as

Shapefiles

  Running scripts (using PostGIS, GDAL) to convert these routes to a ‘topological network’ of segments, stops, with metadata like average speed attached.

  Converting these topological files to network formats needed, such as GTFS, or Netview scripts

  In OpenTripPlanner’s case, building a connected ‘graph’ of street network, timetables, transfer

Network Topology Screenshot

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8ss39pxjswmd721/Screenshot%202014-05-11%2016.41.18.png

before & after example maps

Left: calculated accessibility from Chadstone, PTV current.

Right: same location & time, but with revised bus network and ‘best case’ service (30km/h avg speed, 5min headways, implies significant road prioritisation measures)

Futher Potential of this kind of GIS-based network analysis

  Left: Differential impact to New York Transit network after Hurricane Sandy

  Right: Mode “Accessibility gap” in Washington D.C. between car and public transport, plus employment

McGurrin, M. F. & Greczner, D. 2011, 'Performance Metrics: Calculating Accessibility Using Open Source Software and Open Data', 11-0230.

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/01/best-maps-weve-seen-sandys-transit-outage-new-york/4488/

References & Contacts

Hillsman, E. & Barbeau, S. 2011, 'Enabling Cost-Effective Multimodal Trip Planners through Open Transit Data', National Center for Transit Research (University of Southern Florida), Final Report, FDOT BDK85 TWO 977-20, http://www.locationaware.usf.edu/ongoing-research/projects/open-transit-data/.

McGurrin, M. F. & Greczner, D. 2011, 'Performance Metrics: Calculating Accessibility Using Open Source Software and Open Data', 11-0230.

Contacts & Project Website:

  P.sunter@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au

  http://www.appropedia.org/OSSTIP