TransitCamp Bay Area Proposed Sessions

Propose session ideas below for the TransitCampBayArea:

1. Microformats & Transit brainstorming -- William Lawrence
1. Problem: How to markup transit tables for trains/light-rail, buses, etc, in such a way that aggregation and navigation of schedules across varying transit systems becomes possible.
2. Solution: Does there exist a solution within microformats, and if so what would be a good practice?
3. Goal: After all the talks about Data Portability and standards, let's figure out how to mark-up HTML so the data can be repurposed.
4. Reference:
1. http://microformats.org/wiki/transit-table-examples
2. http://microformats.org/discuss/mail/microformats-discuss/2005-October/001595.html
2. Onboard Information:
1. Problem: What information should be presented to passengers on board train/bus? What is the best way to present this information.
1. For example: How to make the best use of the limited display space; How to make to most efficient use of the passenger's limited time to read/scan the information?
2. The idea is to talk about static displays, as well as more sophisticated technological solutions which allow dynamic content (e.g., "this train currently running 15 min. late").
3. Bike Sharing and the "last mile" -- Sean Savage, Call-A-Bike/FaberNovel
1. Problem: How can we make it easier for people to get from their starting points to the nearest public transit stops, and from transit stops to their destinations? Do shared bicycles present a feasible and desirable solution? If so, what's the best way to fund such a system? (Private bike rental firms? Municipally-funded or nonprofit solutions? Public/private hybrids? Can/should bike sharing be publically subsidized?)
2. Solution:
4. Identify the "extreme users":
1. Problem: IDEO's Tim Brown recommends observing "extreme users" to find ideas for innovation. So who are the "extreme users" as far as transit is concerned?
2. Possible answers: first time travelers (tourists etc.), people who use the system a lot (commuters), people with disabilities... What can we learn from each class of "extreme users"?
5. Cellphones and public transportation:
1. Problem: How can cellphone be used to make the transit experience easier?
2. Goal: Design an easy to implement solution that will enable travelers to receive real time updates regarding their planned and ongoing trip via SMS etc. keeping in mind the various transit systems that are part of most trips around the Bay Area.
3. Less realistic goal: Find a way for the user information to be relayed back to the transit operators (e.g., "15 people on board Amtrak train 537 are going to miss their Caltrain connection since the train is running late") in the hope that they can make use of it to readjust schedules etc.
6. Multimodal transport information in Paris
1. Problem: how to make sure a rider knows where he will arrive, how he will get there and if there won't be any interruptions in his trip, providing him information on all transportation he can use.
2. Solution: 1) information display and availability 2) making different realtime systems talk.
3. Goal: Let's see how all agencies/companies can share their RT transportation data (+ congestion/perturbation data) and how we can distribute this information.
4. Reference:
1. Multimodal information screens: EDIM
2. http://wap.ratp.fr/siv/home (iphone)
3. RT transportation norms: transmodel / chouette / SIRI

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