[OSGeo-Boston] Meetup Tue (Today) at Media Lab

Tue Oct 27 14:14:29 EDT 2009

I wasn't aware that EOT/DOT was planning to hold back real-time data
on bus locations.  Perhaps due to misguided security concerns?  "Let's
keep the actual bus locations a secret.  We don't want members of the
general public delaying them by trying to get on board, now do we?"

Anyway, I agree that this particular data holdback is most
unfortunate, since the buses are the most vulnerable to traffic
delays, and waiting bus riders are the most vulnerable to inclement
weather.

--Alan Wu

On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 1:32 PM, chris csikszentmihalyi
<csik at media.mit.edu> wrote:
> One thing to add about the DOT initiative -- they are hosting a competition
> for the best app or visualization based on the data they are now making
> available, you can read about it here:
> http://www.eot.state.ma.us/developers/
>
> ... and the winner gets an unlimited T pass for a year!
>
> Also, they are currently _not_ making available the real-time bus locations
> they collect through GPS.  That's a pity, since it is one place where
> transit experience -- especially in the cold, cold rain -- could really be
> improved.  If anyone does go to this event, they should lobby for opening
> the bus data.
>
> C.
>
> Alan Wu wrote:
>
> Note that this OSGeo meeting time conflicts with the BOSPDAUG (Boston
> PDA User Group), which has had regularly scheduled meetings at 7pm on
> the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month, usually in MIT Room 3-133:
>
> http://bospdaug.org
>
> OSGeo readers might be interested in the following announcement,
> extracted from an email by BOSPDAUG member Al Willis:
>
> "The Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) will be hosting a
> Developers Conference, free and open to the public, at the Tang Center
> at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on November 14th, 2009.
> The Conference is free and open to the public.  It will include
> plenary sessions featuring speakers from the transportation and
> technology community, and breakout sessions, where developers can meet
> to discuss EOT’s data and what applications they are working on.  The
> Conference will also include training sessions for the Regional
> Transit Authorities, which provide transit services outside of Greater
> Boston, to help those agencies maintain their data in open and
> available formats on the Developers Page.
> The Conference will build on EOT’s historic step toward openness and
> transparency started by the creation of the EOT Developers Page."
>
> http://massdotdevconference.eventbrite.com/
>
> In summary, the Mass Governor's Executive Office of Transportation
> (EOT) has announced the release of machine-readable information about
> transit and transportation to software developers of geo-aware apps.
> This includes transit schedules, realtime transit vehicle locations,
> and realtime traffic congestion information.  The conference will
> discuss open standards, Web APIs, and potential uses for the ongoing
> release of this data.
>
> This is an exciting breakthrough, since it opens the way for
> Massachusetts software developers to match or exceed the comprehensive
> transit and traffic information services already available to San
> Francisco Bay residents (http://511.org).
>
> The BOSPDAUG membership has become increasingly interested in
> location-aware applications, enabled by the spreading popularity of
> GPS-equipped mobile platforms such as the iPhone, Android-based
> smartphones, and others.  It would be unfortunate if OSGeo and
> BOSPDAUG meetings were to be regularly scheduled at the same time
> (except for joint meetings!).
>
> As for this evening's meetings, I regret my inability to be in two
> places at once 8^(.  I do support the proposed on-campus location, as
> more conveniently accessible, and at least offering the theoretical
> possibility of going to one, and then the other, or alternating 8^).
>
> --Alan Wu
>
> On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 12:08 PM, Shekhar Krishnan <shekhar at mit.edu> wrote:
>
>
> The room is confirmed, it is in E15-135 in the Wiesner Bldg/Media Lab at 20
> Ames Street Cambridge, MA 02139-4307.
>
> http://whereis.mit.edu/map-jpg?selection=E15&Buildings=go
>
> We'll meet at 7.00 p.m. tonight. If anyone is lost, you can call or text me
> on +1.617.412.6334 or find me or AIM (bombayologist) or GoogleTalk
> (bombayologist).
>
> Best,
>
>
> Shekhar
>
>
> Christopher Schmidt wrote:
>
>
> On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 12:18:09AM -0400, Shekhar Krishnan wrote:
>
>
> All:
>
> Sorry for the late notice on this. We'll meet at the MIT Media Lab,
>  Wiesner Building, E15, 20 Ames Street Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
>  http://whereis.mit.edu/map-jpg?selection=E15&Buildings=go
>
> Meet downstairs (stairs go straight down from Ames Street) in 'The
>  Cube', the workspace with sofas inside glass doors to your right once  you
> enter the lobby. I'll confirm the room number to this list tomorrow  once I
> get it from the ML folks.
>
>
> Cool. I should be there.
>
> -- Chris
>
>
>
> Best,
>
>
> Shekhar
>
>
> Miles Fidelman wrote:
>
>
> Is anything actually happening?  If so, when and where?
>
> Miles Fidelman
>
> Shekhar Krishnan wrote:
>
>
> Dear All:
>
> My colleague Tim 'Chippy' Waters, freelance geo-hacker, OSM enthusiast
> and web developer from Leeds UK will be in town next Tuesday 27 October
> evening. I propose a meetup around 7.00pm in Cambridge to share ideas and
> projects.
>
> Tim and I also want to show off the Map Rectifier and Digitizer he's
>  been developing for the New York Public Library http://maps.nypl.org  which
> contains thousands of historical maps archived by the Maps  Division. Here's
> more about Tim and his work  http://thinkwhere.wordpress.com/projects
>
> Let me know if anyone is interested, and I'll book a room or space
>  somewhere at MIT with a projector. Also, if you want a beta account on
> http://maps.nypl.org please email me off list.
>
> Best,
>
>
> S.K.
>
>
> --
>
> Shekhar Krishnan
> MIT E51-185
> 77 Massachusetts Avenue
> Cambridge, MA 02139
> U.S.A.
> 
> http://heptanesia.net
> http://bombayology.net
> http://web.mit.edu/shekhar
> _______________________________________________
> Boston mailing list
> Boston at lists.osgeo.org
> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/boston
>
>
> --
>
> Shekhar Krishnan
> MIT E51-185
> 77 Massachusetts Avenue
> Cambridge, MA 02139
> U.S.A.
> 
> http://heptanesia.net
> http://bombayology.net
> http://web.mit.edu/shekhar
> _______________________________________________
> Boston mailing list
> Boston at lists.osgeo.org
> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/boston
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> Christopher Csikszentmihalyi
>
> Director, Computing Culture Group
>
> Director, MIT Center for Future Civic Media
>
> E15-020A | 20 Ames Street
>
> Cambridge | MA | USA | 02139-5275
>
> csik at media.mit.edu
>
> www.media.mit.edu/~csik
>
> 1.617.848.9659