Who
Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is responsible for planning, strategy, policy and procurement across all modes of transport in NSW. It works in partnership with transport operating agencies and private service providers to ensure the delivery of a safe, integrated and efficient transport system for NSW citizens.
The challenge
Population growth, rapid technological innovation and increasing public demand for more efficient transport services means the sector is constantly undergoing rapid change.
Not surprisingly, TfNSW recognised early that efficient use of the data it collects was central to its ability to deliver sustainable, responsive and intelligent transport services. It also recognised that sharing this data and collaborating with diverse stakeholders, both internally and externally, would accelerate innovation and deliver better transport solutions for NSW citizens.
The challenges TfNSW faced were to:
- Make accurate and real-time transport data available to the public
- Make this data available in an easy-to-use format
- Create a sustainable and collaborative data environment that drives innovation
Compounding this challenge was that until recently the very idea of opening data up to the public was daunting, not least because it meant an agency’s operational performance was made public.
The solution
In 2016, TfNSW launched the Open Data Hub – a public platform which provides Application Programming Interface (API) and download access to transport data through both static datasets and real-time APIs. The hub, which was built on DKAN a web based open-source data portal and management platform, currently has 15,751 registered users and supplies real-time data to apps with more than five million unique customer downloads.
Alongside the establishment of the hub, TfNSW created a community forum. The forum provides a collaborative space for application developers and researchers to share ideas, ask for help, request data and keep up-to-date with what’s going on in open data and innovation.
TfNSW also runs regular innovation challenges and hackathons to develop innovative solutions to transport challenges. As a result, a range of mobile apps and digital products have been developed that allow commuters to not only find out when their next bus or train is, but also how full the service is and their chances of getting a seat. Some recent use cases of transport data have been:
So how did they do it?
When developing platforms, government agencies typically undergo a long design and development process, often taking years before they can release the final product. However, in establishing the Open Data Hub, Yvonne Lee from TfNSW explained that “an agile and iterative approach was taken”.
“The project faced incredibly tight timeframes, meaning that many important technical requirements simply couldn’t be met,” she said. As a result, the project team decided early on that the portal would be delivered in two phases.
“The first phase of development, which originally just delivered the API gateway, focused on ensuring the portal had basic functionality. For the second phase, the project team undertook extensive user testing and called on developers to provide feedback on the kinds of information they would like to get their hands on and in what format.
“Presenting the data in a developer friendly way has been central to the hub’s success,”
Yvonne Lee, Transport for NSW
The outcome
The overall outcome of TfNSW’s open data initiatives have undoubtedly been a win-win for government and citizens.
For TfNSW, the results have been:
- Better business intelligence and more informed decision-making around transport services
- A dramatic reduction in data requests, allowing transport staff to use their time more efficiently
- Significant cost-savings by outsourcing some of the cost of public transport service innovation to application developers.
For citizens, TfNSW’s open data initiatives have revolutionised the way they engage with transport services. Key benefits include:
- The delivery of more efficient transport services based on customer needs
- More customer choice around which transport services they take
- More timely and accurate information on transport services.
Important takeaways for other government agencies
- There are significant efficiency gains for the community and government by making data open.
- Sharing and collaborating with a broad range of stakeholders accelerates innovation.
- Agile and iterative approaches are fundamental to the success of data initiatives.
