The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has launched an initiative to create a National Transit Map, which is a critical missing element in the National Spatial Data Infrastructure. The National Transit Map will display stops, routes, and schedules for all participating transit agencies. DOT is asking transit agencies to voluntarily permit DOT to collect General Transit Feed Specification data from their
DOT is asking transit agencies to voluntarily permit DOT to collect General Transit Feed Specification data from their web sites on a periodic basis, allowing for the incorporation of routing and schedule data into the National Transit Map. With this information, DOT, planning agencies and researchers can identify and address gaps in access to public transportation.
To participate in the National Transit Map, transit agencies must register their data with DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) and agree to the standard terms of use. Beginning March 31, the first National Transit Map Collection Day, BTS will download and begin processing the data sets that agencies have registered for inclusion in the first release of the National Transit Map later this year.
BTS has worked with the DOT Office of the Chief Information Officer, DOT’s Office of Transportation Policy and the Federal Transit Administration to develop the method for collecting, storing, and publishing the National Transit Map. For more information, see the National Transit Map website.
