It makes sense that the transit agency serving the Silicon Valley would be one of the first to adopt a formal open data policy.
The Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority (VTA) announced the formal adoption of an open data policy earlier this month, according to an post by Cody Kraatz.
The announcement "makes VTA the first government organization in Santa Clara County, one of the first agencies in the Bay Area, and perhaps the first transit operator in the country to adopt a formal Open Data Policy," according to Kraatz.
The Open Data policy is the work of the VTA's Transportation Innovation Center. "The policy creates a standard for proactively releasing VTA’s valuable transportation data through our Open Data Portal at data.vta.org. All data released through the portal will be 'machine readable,' meaning it will use formats that software can understand and manipulate rather than PDFs or text documents only people can read," reports Kraatz.
The article also includes some description of the potential of open data to improve public engagement and as a tool for economic development.
FULL STORY: VTA Adopts Open Data Policy, Sets the Default to Open
Congestion Pricing in the San Francisco Bay Area
Planners call them “express lanes,” but make no mistake, they are congestion pricing in action, and they're successful. The Bay Area network of what the Federal Highway Administration calls “high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes” is growing.
Washington DC Launches Open Data Chatbot
City data is now available literally at the public’s fingertips, no data analytics skills required.
BART’s Phase II Extension Into San Jose Ready to Go
A long-awaited extension of the Bay Area’s regional rail transit system is finally coming into view, with an expected completion date of 2030.
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service