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My favorite numbers guy, Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight has poured over the census data and published an intriguing article that shows how the workforce in US cities begin its work day. I’ll share Nate’s findings through the graphs he published but I highly recommend that you read the full article over at his site . This insightful analysis will be definitely useful for transportation systems operators and managers.

Here are a few data nuggets from this analysis:

• New Yorkers are pretty relaxed and get to catch a few more winks  than many in the country. The median worker in the New York metropolitan area begins her workday at 8:24 a.m. 
• A quarter of the workforce in Atlantic City doesn’t begin its workday until 11:26 a.m. or after (understandably because the AC workforce is dependent on a recreational economy).
• The metro area with the earliest workday is Hinesville, Ga. The median worker there arrives at work at 7:01 a.m.

Let’s first see the US metro areas that are slow to roll

Source: FiveThirtyEight.com

Now let’s look at the those cities with the earliest median arrival times to work

Source: FiveThirtyEight.com Click Image to learn more.

And finally the Median arrival time in your local time zone

Source: fivethirtyeight.com. Click the image to learn more

Interesting, isn’t it? Go over to Fivethirtyeight.com to soak up the brilliant write-up from Nate.

An interesting competition announced by the U.S. Department of Transportation encourages college students to design a better way to help consumers make smart decisions when booking their bus travel.  This is what you need to know about the challenge:

• Who: Creative college students with imaginative ideas.
• What: A mobile app or web-accessible tool that presents our safety information in a simple, intuitive way that would help the average person choose the safest bus available.
• When: January 31st, 2013

Here is an embed of the announcement, as seen on USDOT Sec. Ray LaHood’s blog.  Please share widely.

[clip id=”LQWmcbZxCv5hZfnsH78P2j8yezvHUCgfZiTe” width=”642″ height=”1524″ scale=”disabled”]

The Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) seeks a Supervisory Senior Transportation Specialist for the Office of Transportation Analysis within the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). BTS promotes coordinated collection, comparability, and quality standards of transportation data; and facilitates in the closing of important data gaps. Over the years of its existence, BTS established itself with a focus in three key areas, each mandated by legislation: 1) compiling, analyzing, and publishing a comprehensive set of transportation statistics; 2) making statistics readily accessible; and, 3) implementing a long term data collection program. This is a permanent position and it is based in Washington, D.C.

Under the leadership of the BTS Director, the successful candidate will direct the planning and initiation of a broad and significant range of programs to: 1) identify and address major issues in transportation; 2) identify data gaps and inconsistencies; 3) implement strategies to meet data gaps; and, 4) conduct cross-sectional and trend analyses that can be used to inform decision-making.

RITA is looking for an experienced manager who has experience in developing multi-faceted transportation statistics analysis programs and managing teams with diverse skill sets. The Office of Transportation Analysis has two principal programs — Freight Statistics Analysis and International Transportation Statistics. The Office compiles essential and continuing statistics and key indicators on the Nation’s transportation system to inform policy development and investment decision by DOT, Congress, federal, state, and local governments and the private sector. The Office conducts analysis and prepares special reports on strategic performance measures of all modes of transportation. The Office leads the preparation of several annual, monthly, and quarterly reports and data releases including those legislatively mandated for BTS.

If you know someone interested in this Washington, D.C., based position with relevant experience and a history of proven results please encourage them to apply under the attached vacancy announcement. We are looking for a diverse pool of qualified candidates.

The vacancy announcements can be found on:

ALL SOURCES: http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/319337200

MERIT PROMOTION: http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/319336300

Application deadline: Thursday, June 28, 2012

The Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) seeks a senior executive to serve as the Director for the Office of Transportation Analysis within the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). This is a permanent position and it is based in Washington, D.C.

BTS promotes coordinated collection, comparability, and quality standards of transportation data; and facilitates in the closing of important data gaps. Over the years of its existence, BTS established itself with a focus in three key areas, each mandated by legislation;

1) compiling, analyzing, and publishing a comprehensive set of transportation statistics;

2) making statistics readily accessible; and,

3) implementing a long term data collection program.

Under the leadership of the BTS Director, the successful candidate will direct the planning and initiation of a broad and significant range of programs to:

1) identify and address major issues in transportation;

2) identify data gaps and inconsistencies;

3) implement strategies to meet data gaps; and,

4) conduct cross-sectional and trend analyses that can be used to inform decision-making.

RITA is looking for an experienced manager who has experience in developing multi-faceted transportation statistics analysis programs and managing teams with diverse skill sets. The Office of Transportation Analysis has two principal programs — Freight Statistics Analysis and International Transportation Statistics. The Office compiles essential and continuing statistics and key indicators on the Nation’s transportation system to inform policy development and investment decision by DOT, Congress, federal, state, and local governments and the private sector. The Office conducts analysis and prepares special reports on strategic performance measures of all modes of transportation. The Office leads the preparation of several annual, monthly, and quarterly reports and data releases including those legislatively mandated for BTS.

If you know someone interested in this Washington, D.C., based position with relevant experience and a history of proven results please encourage them to apply under the attached vacancy announcement.  The U.S. DOT is  looking for a diverse pool of qualified candidates.

This announcement is posted to the Public and to Merit Promotion eligible applicants on www.usajobs.opm.gov. Please know that Merit Promotion announcements are the vehicle through which Federal employees generally apply for Federal positions.

PUBLIC: http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/314490100

MERIT PROMOTION: http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/314492900 

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), has published the Pocket Guide to Transportation 2012 – a quick reference guide to significant transportation data. The 15th annual Pocket Guide covers data on transportation safety, state of good repair, system use and performance, economic competitiveness, and environmental sustainability. To order a copy of the Pocket Guide to Transportation 2012, go to the BTS website publications page. This free guide can also be obtained by contacting BTS by phone at 800-853-1351, by e-mail at ritainfo@dot.gov or by mail sent to Product Orders, RITA/Bureau of Transportation Statistics, USDOT, 1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E., Room E36-109, Washington, D.C. 20590. Non-orders contact Dave Smallen: 202-366-5568.

BTS – Pocket Guide 2012

(Source: Faster Forward blog – Washington Post)

Upgrading Transit’s Interface: Metro Releases Google Transit Data

This morning, Metro’s Web site has a new page with a title not normally seen on the online presences of transit agencies: “Developer Resources.”

Photo Courtesy: Mymetrostop@Flickr

That page offers a download of Metro’s bus and rail schedules inGoogle Transit Feed Specification format, ready for any developer to download and reuse in a Web page or in a standalone program. (At the moment, clicking through the user agreement on the page only sends you back to the user agreement, but I’m sure somebody at Metro will correct that soon enough. Right?)

 In doing this, Metro is following the example of a lot of smart Web sites — but too few government agencies — by letting the rest of the world re-use, re-publish and mash up its data. The immediate effect of a GTFS download may only be the addition of Metro rail and bus routes to thetransit guidance offered on Google Maps (assuming the Mountain View, Calif., Web firm doesn’t object to Metro’s terms of use). That alone should make Metro’s services far more “discoverable,” to use a little human-interface jargon. But when anybody else can play this game, the possibilities are wide open.

In the same way that Web developers have used Google Maps tools to build crafty sites charting everything from real-estate sales to campaign donations, people will be able to build Web sites, widgets and programs using Metro’s data in ways that the company hasn’t thought of and may never dream up on its own.

For a sense of the possibilities, look over this interview from last year, in which two managers in Portland, Oregon’s Tri-Met transit agency explain how independent developers and other government agencies are building useful software and services off their data feeds with minimal cost and effort.