MassDOT Dev Real Time Challenge – WorkBar member Allen Smith takes first place!
Allen Smith, WorkBar member and founder of WherePhone, a company that provides automatic vehicle, personnel, and asset location and tracking services, recently took first place in the MassDOT Developers Real Time Challenge. The MBTA opened up its real time data feed of bus locations and arrival predictions and created this contest with the of goal of having it available to anyone at anytime. The contest had two categories, physical and software application based, of which Allen won the physical installation with his creation of a bus arrival time indicator. Allen’s arrival indicator uses the familiar clock face to indicate the arrival time of both inbound and outbound buses closest to the the clock’s physical location. You can read about how it works and why it is better than LED or video displays in Allen’s full entry.
Here is a picture of Allen’s MBTA clock:
See the clock in action at JP Licks in Jamaica Plain
Along with the $500 cash reward Allen also received a signed bus stop, from the Forest Hills stop, from the newly confirmed head of the MBTA!
The winners of the Software application based category were a team of current uLocate employees headed by Jared Egan. Their winning entry was an iPhone app called Catch the bus. The two winners had more in common than just this challenge as Allen is a former uLocate employee.
Here are all the winners:
Congrats Allen! Here is Governor Patrick announcing the winners of the MassDOT Challenge:
MassDOT Developers Real Time Challenge
On Thursday, February 18th, MassDOT announced the MassDOT Developers Real-Time Challenge. The Challenge calls on developers to create both software applications and physical installations using the real-time feed of MBTA bus locations and arrival predictions found below. The goal of the Challenge is to make this information available anywhere, anytime. The challenge has two categories, with a $500 cash prize for the winner in each and recognition at a March event.
Physical Installation Challenge: This challenge calls on developers to create physical installations making information from the MBTA Real-Time XML Trial Feed accessible in public locations. These solutions must be installed along at least one of the five MBTA Routes for which the feed is available on non-MBTA property. Examples include: LED countdown signs in businesses or other locations along the route, LCD countdown signs in businesses or other locations along the routes, bus arrival indicators, physical signs informing users of the existence of real-time data through the phone or on the web, or the inclusion of the MBTA real-time bus information in existing installations along the MBTA Bus routes.
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