PROJECT HISTORY
The challenge
NYSDOT needed an advanced system integrating 80+ transit agencies to provide real-time updates and multi-modal trip planning for 5M+ daily riders.
TRANSIT Data Suite
Transforming New York's Traveler Information System with 511N
The solution
Arcadis partnered with NYSDOT to enhance 511NY, integrating multi-modal transit data, bikeshare, and real-time trip planning tool.
The Impact
Arcadis supported 511NY, enhancing user experience, improving operational efficiency, and evolving with new features for seamless trip planning.
The challenge
New York State and the New York City Metropolitan Region, covering an expansive area of 240,000 square kilometers and home to approximately 23.6 million people, needed an advanced and comprehensive traveler information system. The challenge was to create a platform that could seamlessly integrate data from over 80 transit agencies, including the New York City MTA—the largest transit agency in North America—and various mobility operators. This system needed to serve over 5 million riders daily, providing real-time transit information and efficient multi-modal trip planning.
The solution
Arcadis partnered with the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to launch a new and expanded version of the 511NY traveler information system in December 2014 and continues to provide the solution today. Our Transit and Mobility Data team focused on implementing and enhancing the transit, shared-use, and micro-mobility components of the system. Key solutions included:
1. TRANSIT-data-tools:
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Aggregated and deployed transit data in GTFS and GTFS-real-time formats for over 80 New York public transit agencies. |
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Integrated bikeshare and e-scooter data in GBFS format. |
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Incorporated pedestrian, bicycling, and roadway data from OpenStreetMap (OSM). |
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Provided tools for agency staff to create, edit, and manage GTFS data for more than 30 agencies. |
2. OTP Routing Engine and API:
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Enabled users to plan multi-modal trips efficiently. |
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Integrated with the main 511NY website and a standalone responsive web app. |
The impact
Since its launch, the enhanced 511NY system has been continuously hosted, maintained, and supported by Arcadis. Our ongoing collaboration with NYSDOT ensures the system remains robust and responsive to user needs. Key impacts include:
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Enhanced User Experience: The integration of multi-modal data allows travelers to access comprehensive and real-time information, making trip planning more efficient and reliable. |
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Operational Efficiency: The data tools provided enable transit agencies to manage and update their data seamlessly, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information is available to users. |
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Continuous Improvement: With the development of new features, such as the complete rewrite of the GTFS management tools, optimization of the routing graph build process, and updates to keep up with GTFS specifications, the system continues to evolve and improve. |
Used capabilities
