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Marco edited this page May 10, 2014 · 13 revisions

What is GTFS?

The General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) [1] is a standard de facto for public transportation schedules and related geographic information. This format allows developers to build applications quite easily.

GTFS defines a set of files and their content. These files are simple CVS files that can be edited using a text editor or a common spreadsheets application. Some files are mandatory while others are optional.

The challenge

Matera municipality released bus timetables as opendata [2]. Unfortunately, these data are not in a machine readable format. The challenge is to translate [2] into GTFS.

We are going to focus only on required files at this stage, that is:

  • agency.txt
  • stops.txt
  • routes.txt
  • trips.txt
  • stop_times.txt
  • calendar.txt

We have a Google Spreadsheets [5] for this.

Moreover, we would like to create also shapes.txt file that shows how to draw bus routes on a map. In this case, we collect gps tracks using smartphones or other devices. Some people helped us to collect data for some lines. Collected tracks are stored in [3].

Roadmap and status

How can I help?

We use Trello [4] for coordinating our activities. If you are going to help, Trello is the first place you should visit.

We need help for:

  • Collecting gps tracks
  • Editing tracks with JOSM
  • Filling up core GTFS files with Google Spreadsheet [5]
  • Writing documentation/amending typos
  • Review JOSM files and GPX tracks.

Getting started tutorials

Work in progress

  • How to track routes with your smartphone
  • How to simplify routes
  • How to edit tracks with JOSM
  • How to upload tracks on OSM
  • How to create shapes.txt from gpx files
  • What is GTFS

References

[1] https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs/

[2] http://dati.comune.matera.it/dataset/orari-e-percorsi-bus-urbani

[3] http://dati.comune.matera.it/en/dataset/osm-challenges

[4] https://trello.com/c/dLZEGmhW/18-osm-challange-1-public-transport

[5] https://drive.google.com/#folders/0B2xlbBh8wAFBRWgtUEVDcHNRV1E

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