WP Essentials
This is a Work Package as part of the OSSTIP project.
Inputs: Publically-available GIS data of transport networks and related shapes, sample GTFS files, some samples of modified network GIS files. Outputs: Short evaluation report on each tool, stating pros and cons, saved example code and datasets in project repository/dropbox.
Estimated Time: Small-medium
Requirements Summary
The goal during this WP would be to simultaneously assemble and better understand the key data currently available for Melbourne’s transport network, compared to requirements of the GIS-T tools of interest (being evaluated in WP2 (p5)), and initial plans for how to bridge the available needs.
Key formats and data sources are likely to comprise:
- GIS vector Shapefiles of public transport networks and routes (and how to best organise them);
- Timetables, likely in the form of the GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification)1;
- Street networks, like OpenStreetMap, that will support including walking (and possibly cycling) into the journey planner module;
- Supplementary data that might support later stages of the project: e.g. capacity and loading of current transport networks, VISTA travel activity data, etc.
Best sources for the data should be documented :- and if a good public source doesn’t yet exist, then ways of generating the required data from intermediate forms should be recorded.
The WP would include assembling as complete as possible a GTFS timetable for Melbourne as it currently stands based on available data, and at the same time documenting and sharing expertise within the team of how to effectively work with the format. It could also include experimenting with tools to extract useful information from GTFS files, such as route maps, and current average speeds and frequencies. This kind of initial experimentation would form the basis for OSSTIP/WP5s workflow for converting between the tools.
With the kind of optimal workflow for converting between the formats as specified in OSSTIP/WP5 in mind, at this stage we should also start preliminary work on how to add/attach required ‘metadata’ to the routes that will support their conversion into a full timetable – such as desired frequency, and average speed.
Results
(TODO)
- Write up sources of OpenStreetMap data
- GTFS data availability