2018 was massive for the Open Data and Innovation Team. We had an incredibly busy year organising innovation challenges and other open data initiatives while keeping our real-time data running and releasing many new datasets and resources. In 2018 we ran five innovation challenges, one hackathon (our very first) and published more than forty-five new datasets. We also endorsed four new apps that were successfully incubated and launched as part of our innovation challenges.
Q1 2018 - January to March
CongestionHack - an open data hackathon
We hit the ground running in 2018 by organising and running our very first open data hackathon - #CongestionHack! The hackathon was aimed at finding a better way to manage the increasing problem of congestion on our roads. We released new datasets for participants to use in their solutions, including ‘Cycleway Data’, ‘Speed Zones Data’ and ‘NSW Crash Data’ to name a few. CongestionHack run for three days (Fri-Sun) and was held on the weekend of March 23rd to 25th at the UTS Hatchery.
We were overwhelmed by the interest and participation, which included over 200 attendees plus mentors, guest speakers and industry contacts. On the Sunday we had 34 teams pitch their ideas to a panel of judges, split into two categories of “in the know” for internal teams or experts, and “open” for the general public. The winners of the “in the know” category were the SKY team with their idea called AMBI and the winners of the “open” category were the Transtrack team with their idea Traveller Eye.
CongestionHack was a hugely popular event and we’ll definitely look at doing another hackathon in the future. Read more about #CongestionHack from an earlier blog post: https://opendata.transport.nsw.gov.au/look-back-congestionhack-transport-nsw-open-data-hackathon.
TfNSW Open Data Blog
This year we also launched this blog on the Open Data Hub to share posts about what the team is up to, information about events, recaps on past projects, technical guides and how-tos. We’ll continue to post as much as we can in 2019 and give you a bit of an insight into what we’re working on and some of our great app developers. If you have any requests or ideas on things we should write about please let us know via the Open Data Forum.
Boating Companion Innovation Challenge
The Boating Companion Innovation Challenge which started in the first quarter of 2018 culminated with the launch and endorsement of two new boating apps to help recreational boaters navigate the waterways of NSW safely. The Boating Companion Innovation Challenge also led to the Marine Alerts Reporting Platform API being developed. The two boating apps, Boatable and Deckee were launched at the Sydney International Boat Show. A bit more about that later…
Featured Datasets in Q1
Some of the datasets that were published in Q1 include:
- Cycleway Data
- Roads Travel Time Data
- Historic Alerts
Q2 2018 - April to June
Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Innovation Challenge
Our biggest innovation challenge of 2018, the MaaS Innovation Challenge asked developers to provide the ideal door-to-door mobility service experience. The MaaS Innovation Challenge was a great opportunity for developers to be part of the next big thing in the transport ecosystem as we try to tackle the issues associated with first and last mile connectivity by providing customers with optimal travel combinations. MaaS also aims to reduce the need of car ownership to ease congestion on our roads and improve environmental factors, such as pollution, in our biggest cities.
The MaaS Innovation Challenge gained great interest among our open data community and industry players. We received more than 50 applications for the challenge and 11 from those were selected to pitch their idea to us at the pitch day. Five finalists were selected to develop their ideas further and carry out trials, the finalists are Tranzer, Whim, Uber, Swiftfare Fleet and Skedgo. The successful teams have been getting ready to trial their solutions and we look forward to seeing how they do in early 2019. You can learn more about the innovation challenge and the upcoming trials at https://opendata.transport.nsw.gov.au/maas-innovation-challenge.
Conclusion of the Travel Choices Innovation Challenge
Following the Travel Choices Innovation Challenge last year, two apps were chosen to go through an incubation process and officially became endorsed in 2018. The successful apps were finderful.com and Citymapper. Finderful.com is a website designed to help you decide where to buy or rent in Sydney based on a wide range of customisable search preferences with a focus on public transport and commuting times. Citymapper is a multimodal trip planning app that makes moving around cities easier than ever. It has unique preferences that allow you to choose transport options based on time or amount of calories burned. For more information about the Travel Choices Innovation Challenge and endorsed apps visit https://opendata.transport.nsw.gov.au/travel-choices-innovation-challenge.
Real-time Train Occupancy Data
Real-time Train Occupancy data was one of the most anticipated data releases we’ve ever had and also one of the most innovative solutions we’ve seen! In May this year we were able to release train occupancy data for all Waratah (A set) trains. The data was released after a lot of hard work and some very smart ideas that brought it all together. The dataset was created after we discovered that we could use the train’s weight sensors to calculate an approximate number of people onboard the vehicle. The figures are sent through to the data feeds every time the doors close after the train leaves a station therefore providing real-time occupancy figures. Furthermore, we are able to break down the data into specific carriages to let customers know which carriage has more room and to help manage congestion on the platforms. We were very excited to release this data and I hope you have all been enjoying it. You can find train occupancy data in most real-time apps.
Carpooling Innovation Challenge
In June we launched the Carpooling Innovation Challenge to find products that could help promote and facilitate carpooling. We had several teams pitch their ideas to us with one finalist making it through to the incubation phase. We can't wait to support new endorsed carpooling apps in the near future.
Featured Datasets in Q2
Some of the datasets that were released in Q2 include:
- Real-time Train Occupancy Data
- NSW Rest Areas
- Household Travel Survey 2016/17
Q3 2018 - July to September
Marine Alerts Reporting Platform (MARP) API
As a requirement for the Boating Companion apps we developed and released a reporting platform for marine alerts, or MARP API. The MARP API allows the maritime agencies to submit alert notices to the platform so that those can then be fed to apps via an API. Alerts can include anything from a shark sighting to a waterway closure or restriction and anything in between. The MARP API is a great example of a very innovative solution to solve a complex problem, which brings together multiple agencies to improve customer safety. The MARP API is also completely open for anyone to integrate in their apps. A “by-product” of the Boating Companion Innovation Challenge, the MARP API was one of our biggest achievements of 2018. You can have a look at the MARP API for yourself in our data catalogue https://opendata.transport.nsw.gov.au/dataset/maritime-alerts-reporting-platform-api
The Open Data Team at the Sydney International Boat Show
Following an incubation period in the first half of the year, the successful Boating Companion apps were ready to be released to the public and launched to market at the 2018 Sydney International Boat Show held in August. TFNSW provided the developers of the endorsed apps Deckee and Boatable, with exhibition stands at the Boat Show and officially received endorsement from Transport for NSW. The apps generated great interest from the boating community and had over 1,000 downloads during the weekend of the show alone. More than 4,500 users now have the apps, making our waterways safer than ever! The team had a great time at the show, assisting the app developers at their stalls and speaking to customers.
Swiftfare Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme (TTSS) Trials
The Swiftfare team began trials of their digital solution for TTSS following a successful entry in the Smart Cities Innovation Challenge in 2017. The trials have been running since mid-2018 in Shoalhaven, Ulladulla and Nowra with more than 30 cabs enabled and 80 users registered. Swiftfare’s solution aims to reduce fraud, improve customer services and provide quicker payments by digitizing the paper taxi dockets that are used for the subsidy scheme. Watch this space in 2019 as we continue to improve TTSS.
Featured Datasets in Q3
Some of the datasets that were published in Q3 include:
- MARP API
- Maritime Coastal Bar
- Maritime Web Camera
- Maritime Public Mooring
- Maritime Public Wharves
- Maritime Restricted Zone
- Maritime Boat Ramp
- Maritime Shallow Water Area
- Maritime No Towing Zone
- Maritime Speed Zone
- Maritime No Wash Zone
- Maritime Aid to Navigation
- Toll Calculator API
- Freight Data
Q4 2018 - October to December
Clearways Innovation Challenge
Our final innovation challenge of 2018 was the Clearways Innovation Challenge. This was also met with great interest from the developer community since keeping clearways clear is a huge issue that has a big impact on congestion and traffic flow. The problem statement was simple but powerful, “Can you create a digital product to help keep clearways clear?”. Six teams were selected to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges at the pitch day held on the 7th of November. The project team is in the process of deliberating on which solutions will move forward to the incubation phase in 2019, so stay tuned! If you would like to learn more about the Clearways Innovation Challenge head to https://opendata.transport.nsw.gov.au/clearways-innovation-challenge.
TfNSW Open Data YouTube Channel
In October we launched our own YouTube channel showcasing some videos from app developers, instructional videos and events. We’re looking to increase our video content in 2019 so keep an eye on it! To subscribe visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvYWtq8MKUNQltGy3MC-BgA.
Real-time Buses and Occupancy Data in Google Maps
Using our strong relationship with Google, we worked to deliver a world-first feature - to show the occupancy of an approaching bus in real-time. This feature allows commuters to plan ahead and keep their commute stress free, showcasing the power of real-time open data. Users can now also see buses on map in real-time to more easily track approaching services. It’s great to see our partnership with Google bearing fruit, a relationship that began when the Open Data Hub was first launched in 2016 and has continued to go from strength to strength yielding ever better results for transport customers.
MOVE 2018 TV Show and the NSW Future Mobility Prospectus
Together with the Future Transport team, we worked on a TV series called MOVE, which explores the future of transport. Produced by the award winning That Startup Show production company, the 6 part online TV series was filmed at a live event on the 26th of November. The show discusses topics such as smart tech, personlised travel, automated transport and even flying taxis! We look forward to the release of the show in early 2019. If you would like to find out more, visit http://moveshow.co.
On the same day as the filming of MOVE, TfNSW launched the NSW Future Mobility Prospectus and a new website. The prospectus is a call to action to startups, academia, entrepreneurs and innovators to partner with us in creating world-class solutions for our customers and building the technology-enabled future mobility system for NSW. The NSW Future Mobility Prospectus also showcases TfNSW's delivery achievements and is a fitting example of future transport technology strategy in action. We invite you to learn more about how Transport for NSW has facilitated a technology-enabled mobility ecosystem by going to transport.nsw.gov.au/futuremobility.
Featured Datasets in Q4
Some of the datasets that were published in Q4 include:
- Clearways Data
- Cycle Network
- Walking Counts
- Parking Permits, Meters and Tariffs
- Transport Mode Symbols and Pictograms
2018 in Numbers
In 2018 we experienced an unprecedented level of growth in open data and our community. We’re very proud of the major milestones we reached throughout the year. Here are some of the amazing statistics from the past 12 months:
- We reached 11,365 registered users on the Open Data Hub. Up 86% from 6,100 this time last year.
- Those users helped us reach 3,027 application on the Open Data Hub. Up 83% from 1,650 at the end of last year.
- Those applications then helped us reach the milestone of 2,329,268,295 API calls to our data. An increase of 157% from 904,478,165 at the same time last year.
- Throughout 2018 we averaged an amazing 30,000,000 API calls per week.
- Our Open Data Forum saw 131 new users join to reach 418 in total. Up 46% from 287 last year.
- Our social following also grew exponentially, with an increase of 70% to a total of 709 Twitter followers from 415 at the end of 2017.
2018 was an amazing year for Open Data and Innovation at Transport for NSW. We were kept very busy but thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as we continued to hunt down and release new data, run more and more innovation challenges and help our users create amazing transport apps. Here’s to an even bigger and better 2019 of open data. We wish you an enjoyable and safe festive season, we’ll be back in the new year!
- The Open Data and Innovation Team