We are looking into exiting web application which is consuming GTFS data files and there are few issues related to route-branches/patterns so we are re-thinking about using alternate data source like Trapeze (TSDE). I do not know what other transit companies are using for their web application so what is the industry standard data source to make transit web application to give information.
During the analysis we found multiple data sources available for consumption
1-GTFS or
2-Trapeze data format (TSDE)
I found that transportation industry communicate / shares data in GTFS format but Trapeze data(TSDE) has more data than GTFS.
For typical customer-facing applications, I would generally recommend GTFS.
GTFS is an open-source interchange format for transit schedule data which is widely used for customer-facing applications, but not for other use cases. The format was originally designed by Google, working with TriMet in Portland, and Google generally requires that transit agencies provide data in this format to make their schedule information available on Google Maps.
Trapeze is an IT company that provides a wide variety of products to transit agencies, such as route scheduling, workforce planning, and realtime system monitoring and control. They have a proprietary data format for schedule information, which is mostly used internally at transit agencies, but is also sometimes used as a format for sharing data externally. For transit agencies that use Trapeze for scheduling, schedule data is easy to export in this format.
I would recommend GTFS for customer-facing applications: the specification is public, open-source, easy to use and understand, and the data is easy to find online for many transit agencies, especially in the US. Schedule information in Trapeze format is not generally available to the public, and it does not have a public API definition (or not one I can easily find, anyway). Perhaps you have specific data needs that cannot be accommodated by the GTFS spec, in which case it may be easier to use the Trapeze format, or alternatively you may choose to add your own custom extension to GTFS.
Related
I am looking for a solution to extract drawings information (such as drawing, title, revision etc.) from multiple Revit models accommodated in BIM360.
I assume that Forge API can be helpful on this point, yet I am still trying to figure out where to start from.
In addition, my current team's technical abilities are limited to a good level of Dynamo and Python.
What would be your suggestion in terms of overall workflow?
Yes, the Autodesk Platform Services (formerly Forge) can help with this. For example, you could use the Data Management API to programatically browse through existing designs in BIM360, and the Model Derivative API to access all the information that was extracted from these designs (3D views, 2D sheets, metadata, etc.). This tutorial could be a good starting point: https://forge-tutorials.autodesk.io/tutorials/hubs-browser/.
However, keep in mind that APS is a cloud development platform, meaning that some basic understanding of web/server development is expected.
Closed. This question is opinion-based. It is not currently accepting answers.
Want to improve this question? Update the question so it can be answered with facts and citations by editing this post.
Closed 6 years ago.
Improve this question
I want to look into ArcGis, and I cant get my head around where it fits in.
I have used the Google Maps API to create some simple maps with makers, Overlays, Listeners etc.
I have recently started looking at PostGIS, and i fully understand that, it enhances Postgres with additional data types and functions for drawing polygons and mapping areas. Great!
What I dont understand is where ArcGIS fits in?
What does it do? why would you use it.
I have a large db of addresses.
Ultimately, it comes down to whether you are happier having a big software stack where everything is designed to work together or whether you are happier doing a bit of SQL, and/or Javascript and Python coding (these are the big players in open source GIS), and generally piecing bits together yourself. ESRI, the makers of the ArcGIS family (which includes desktop, server and web based technologies) is essentially the Microsoft of the GIS world -- the big player, whose products are designed to work very well with each other, but are sometimes a bit tardy when it comes to standards compliance or interaction with 3rd party software.
On the open source side, Postgis, which essentially provides a spatial type extension to Postgres plus many spatial functions, is really an amalgam of various packages: GEOS, which provides many of the spatial predicate functions, Proj4j which does coordinate system conversion and GDAL which provides a lot of glue functions. Recently Postgis has added native support for raster, 3d and topology functions, along with the long existing vector functions, which means that amazingly sophisticated GIS analysis can be performed directly at the database level by chaining together SQL functions.
As has been suggested above QuantumGIS (generally known as QGIS) provides most of the functionality of ArcGIS desktop, for those wanting to go that route. Javascript libraries, such as the OpenLayers or Leaflet (there are many others) can be used to visualize the results of Postgis queries. In addition, there are tools such as Geoserver (Java serlvet based) which allow you to serve up data held either in Postgres/Postgis tables or ESRI shp files in common formats such as WMS, WFS and WMTS, acting as a bridge between client and server.
The final decision is often as much political as technical. If you work for a large utility company or local government, for example, support contracts and industry norms are likely to outweight budgetary constraints. If you are working for a small startup and have people who are happy working at the command line, you will likely get much better value for money from the open source stack.
I assume you are asking about ArcMap which is ESRI's desktop GIS application. The application is an extremely powerful cartographic production and analytic tool that allows the user to perform complex spatial operations. ArcMap also provides a graphical user interface that allows users to edit geometry supporting complex typologies that model real world phenomenon. The application also supports a wide range of raster analysis that is commonly used for remote sensing.
Some examples of how you could use ArcGIS with your database of addresses:
You can use it to compare addresses to census data and better understand customers.
Generate heat maps of statistically significant clusters.
Use network analysis tools to identify closest facilities or route you to the addresses in the most efficient order.
Find what types of features your data falls within (ie City council districts, fire districts, states, etc) and update your data with that information.
These are just a few things you could do with ArcGIS. In short, this tool allows you to view and analyze your data in a spatial context versus the relational approach you seem to be taking now.
ESRI's ArcGIS is very powerful and has TONS of customization options through their ArcObjects API as well as a new way to add your own custom tools and button commands through a framework they call Add-ins. You can even use Python to create a very simple (code-wise) tool that lets a user click a button and, for example, return a selection on the map of all the telephone poles that are within 50 feet of a tree line. They could then just export this set of pole features as a tabular data report for a tree trimming crew to visit each pole to see if they need to trim back the vegetation. You can also use their ArcGIS Runtime to build a completely custom tool that runs from a USB thumb drive with zero install with only the parts and pieces you create like a Map, Table of contents, and a custom toolbar that has only the buttons and tools you need specific for that application. I've seen a gas utility inspection application written this way that only had the map and three buttons for them to use on an iPad or Android tablet. The options with ArcGIS are very near to endless and they keep updating it all constantly.
My day job is customizing ArcGIS to fit gas, water, and power utilities' needs to match their business workflow. I have been working with ArcGIS since 2004.
If you understand google maps API and postGIS then you really have no need for ArcGIS. Download QGIS and use it in conjunction with POSTGIS http://www.qgis.org/
ARCGIS is just unnecessary that's why it doesn't make sense to you (and rightfully so).
Simple Answer: It lets you use MAPS to analyze and store data in a database, where said data has some sort of 'location' attribute on a surface or in 3D space.
Here's a quick example: "Return all of the parcels in Smith County that are within 1000 feet of a school and display them in red on a map."
If I had to answer in one sentence it would be like: if you just want to show where is something on the map (and some basic data with it) use Google Maps API but if you want to analyze, query and understand your spatial data use ArcGIS.
ArcGIS is platform, containing Desktop, Server, Portal (spatial CMS) with various types of geodatabases supported. ArcGIS for Desktop is used for powerful spatial analysis, it includes more than 700 different tools that support strong spatial and alpha – numerical analysis. When we are talking about spatial analysis we can talk about different spatial overlays (simple example: where do wolves and foxes live), proximity analysis (factory to customer distances; protected area (buffer) around oil drill) and spatial statistics (finding patterns in space (and time), mapping clusters (hot/cold spots) and also, since database is in the background of every serious GIS you can use SQL to query your alpha-numerical (and spatial) data to make better decisions.
Mapping is also function of ArcGIS Desktop software – our brains can understand much better information when they are visualized, and also you can and should visualize results you obtained through analysis. Keep in mad that map is only visualization of the data in geodatabase (or shapefile).
ArcGIS Desktop is also used for data entry – with “heads up” editing, for example form orto-photo images for creating vectors with attributes.
Geodatabase management is also part of ArcGIS and geodatabases vary from file geodatabases to enterprise geodatabases which use SQL Server, Oracle, DB2 and other RDBMS systems. Single user file geodatabase supports one concurrent editor and has no storage limit, while enterprise databases provide multiuser editing, versioning, archiving and backup scenarios. Personal geodatabase is single user geodatabase using Microsoft Access for storing spatial data.
ArcGIS for Server provides different formats of spatial services containing spatial data (map) along with alpha-numerical information (if supported by format). Types of ArcGIS for Server services that can be published are: Mapping, WCS, WMS, Feature Access, Schematics, Mobile Data Access, Network Analysis, KML, WFS… ArcGIS for Server services are authored using ArcMap, served with Server (of course) and their URL links are used by developers who code from the scratch or used within Portal for ArcGIS web app templates which can be customized by developers if needed, or other, Silverlight of Flex Esri viewers.
I would say that if you are already comfortable with PostGIS, you should be fine for any work with vectors. If you are working with raster data then I think that would be where ArcGIS would fit in. In ArcGIS you can run different types of statistics and filters on rasters where I don't think you can with PostGIS but I'm sure that will eventually be added.
One more thing, if you ever need to automate your PostGIS work, I would recommend using Python with the psycopg2 library.
I am looking for a map application with the following:
Windows based.
City/Town street maps are downloaded to computer (i.e. does not required a wireless internet connection to get the map images real-time).
Uses GPS on the computer via comport.
Allows me to visually track where I am on the map as I drive around.
We actually have written our own GPS application which uses ESRI shapefiles. Periodically we get complaints from customers saying the GPS is significantly "delayed" (i.e. the icon showing current location is 2-3 blocks behind the true location).
To help isolate whether it might be hardware related or our software, I would like to test alternative applications to see if they have the same delay.
I personally used Microsoft Streets and Trips on a couple of road trips. The mid-level package even comes with a GPS receiver.
If you just want tracking, then there are many applications, such as deLorme, and Microsoft's Street and Trips. S&T's big brother, MapPoint allows a programming interface, which could allow you to test various things.
None of the consumer products will support ESRI formats, although the business-oriented MapPoint can import Shapefiles using a third party add-in (yes I sell one, but there are others).
MapPoint and Streets&Trips both come with road data on DVD. The road data cannot be changed with a download.
I'm struggling to understand what you would get from the Royal Mail if you bought their PAF file dataset of UK addresses.
I was expecting that PAF was some form of database which you would host yourself, and the Royal Mail provide APIs into that database.
However, after reading this, I'm presuming that all you get is a series of files containing the data. I can't find any obvious information regarding an API.
Are there any libraries available to help you handle these files, especially from Java?
Do you have to parse the file yourself and stick it in your own database, so you can do quick lookups from an application?
If all this is true, why would you ever bother buying this off the Royal Mail? Aren't all the third party providers, with their web based APIs, just far simpler to use - in terms of both programming and data maintenance?
Apologies if I've missed the obvious on this one, but I find the Royal Mail site lacking in information. I'm beginning to think that I've misunderstood their PAF file offering.
The postcode address file (PAF) is a set of data-files provided by Royal Mail that contain all address in the UK. My understanding is that it's normally updated every three months.
I'm aware of two companies that have products that supply APIs into the PAF data: QAS and Capscan. With these you're able to search addresses to find missing postcodes or vice versa. APIs include both web-based solutions and native calls.
Why you'd buy direct from Royal Mail? Because you'd want to write your own query tools rather rely on third party products or you want to do data-mining that other products can't provide.
Could you import into a SQL database? Yes, but only after you'd written your own PAF file parser.
Why use these over web-based tools? Because you're sitting behind an intranet, have limited internet access from servers, restrictive licensing from any web-based solution, etc.
It's all in wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postcode_Address_File
Check out www.PostcodeAnywhere.co.uk a web-service based lookup site. Also desktop lookup app available. Decision likley to be based on lookup volume, ease of use, costs, etc. But for low-medium volumes, simple implementation in a few minutes and 'automatic' maintenance built-in.
I've subsequently found this page where you can order a sample data set. It states:
Please be aware that Raw Data contains no software and the data must be processed for use in IT applications. If you do not wish to program PAF or Postzon then we can supply it to you in a pre-written application known as UK Addresses on CD
The UK Addresses on CD page goes on about something called "UK Addresses Utilities", and it states:
The UK Addresses CD also contains a set of dynamic link libraries and provides the ability to interrogate the address datasets programmatically through a .NET 2.0(+) DLL.
I have written something in C# that can parse these files into SQL Server
https://github.com/Telexx/Royal-Mail-PAF-Parser/
How do popular routing gps/phones/mapping web sites update their route information?
And do any phones send back data based on the users actual trip to allow the system to update route information?
What do you mean with "route information"? The map data they use to calculate routes is usually provided by companies Like NavTeq. They provide updates to the data on a regular base.
Concerning data collected by users, TomTom provides so called "IQ routes" which are based on actual traffic data. Meaning when you travel at 5am the system will likely suggest a different route compared to travelling during rush hour.
The required data was collected by the TomTom systems but AFAIK users have to manually upload it to TomTom or at least agree to provide the data when they do an online update of their system.
The two major players in this world are TeleAtlas, a TomTom subsidiary and NavTeq, a Nokia subsidiary.
IMO TomTom/TeleAtlas has the most advanced system. They operate a real-time system for measuring traffic flows, HD traffic. This takes into account data from other HD Traffic users, but also anonymixed data extracted from the GSM network. Now, in addition to the real-time view this provides, TeleAtlas also compiles a statistical average out of this; TomTom sells that as IQ routes.
Now it follows logically that if there's a lot of new traffic across a river, then probably someone built a bridge there ;)
In addition to HD Traffic and IQ Routes, TomTom also allows their users to report map erros and updates with MapShare. For many classes of changes (e.g. one-way roads or blocked roads, or changed roadnames), TomTom can use MapShare to immediately distribute updates for their maps without issuing a full map update. As a TomTom subsidiary, TeleAtlas presumably has access to these reported updates as well.