Description:

For many years, transportation agencies and authorities have given out thousands of free copies of paper maps and schedules. However, transportation agencies often resist sharing the data behind those maps and schedules. In July 2009, The Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and its agencies began opening data to application developers. This data has been used by smart, innovative software developers to build applications that benefit transportation users, travelers, and riders. This effort provides a window into the possibilities created by open data. This webcast will discuss why EOT decided to open its data, progress so far, and what possibilities exist as more information, including real-time data, is opened and shared.

About the Presenters

Joshua Robin is the manager of performance reporting for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation. His responsibilities include oversight of EOT's performance management efforts. As part of EOT's transparency efforts, Josh helped launch the EOT Developers Page beta in July 2009.

Chris Dempsey is Assistant Secretary for Innovation and Project Development at the Executive Office of Transportation. In that role, Chris is charged with creating a more modern, open, and transparent transportation bureaucracy. These efforts have included an overhaul of the Registry of Motor Vehicles website, reform of the Highway Department's traveler-information program, and the launch of the EOT Developers Page, Developers Conference, and Developers Challenge.

The Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works (EOTPW) has direct oversight of the Massachusetts Highway Department and the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The Secretary of Transportation, who leads EOT, serves as the Chair of the MBTA Board of Directors, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, and the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission.