In a first for a government-run transport corporation, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation has developed an open source real-time updated data sharing platform to be shared with app developers and researchers.
The platform is set to roll out by January-end, officials said.
Real-time updated data has revolutionised urban commuting the world over, including India, with an explosion in the use of apps that rely on such data for taxi availability, for example. If the data availability is extended to public transport, commuters will have more options and KSRTC’s initiative is a step in that direction.
How to use
Data that will be shared include the estimated time of departure and arrival of vehicles, the data from the KSRTC ITS-Mysuru and the vehicle tracking and monitoring system, besides data on online reservations. Users can access data on an intermediate server, which will be updated every 10 seconds by the KSRTC. An online form accepting the terms of use can be filed for most information, while certain data streams will require the issuance of an ID and a password.
Now, the data can be procured only through a lengthy process, defeating the purpose of asking for live data. “Only static data were available without permission, which do not help app developers who are looking to provide live updates to their users,” said Rajender Kumar Kataria, managing director, KSRTC.
“Start-ups and other companies can harness the data to devise new services, which will boost our ridership. The draft report titled, ‘Open Transport Data Assessment-Mysore’ has been prepared. The board cleared the policy on December 29 and we are going for a final round of vetting before rolling out the scheme by January-end,” Mr. Kataria said.
Researchers studying mobility will benefit from the data. A few institutions have expressed interest in crunching this data, Mr. Kataria said.
The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation is working on a data-sharing policy on similar lines.
