May 18, 2018
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General Session: Big Data's Big Impact

The current state of Big Data—the amount of information available to public transit agencies through online and connected services—“opens up new opportunities, providing information we never had before,” as Kimberly Slaughter, vice president, national transit/rail market sector leader, HNTB Corporation, said at the May 8 General Session, “Big Data’s Big Impact.”

Slaughter joined Shannon Daberkow, product planning manager, data and analytics, urban insights associates, Cubic Transportation Systems, and Garrett Vandendries, director, business intelligence, Chicago Transit Authority, on a panel moderated by William Thomsen, president & chief executive officer, Urban Engineers of New York.

Vandendries explained that public transit agencies can gather millions of data points from smartphones and other devices. In the past, much of this data could not be harvested and was of no use to agencies, but now agencies are able to use the data to improve service delivery, make predictions for future performance and even increase revenue by personalizing ads based on rider preferences. Daberkow concurred, explaining that examining passenger data can help an agency better influence riders’ behavior.

Slaughter described how she began her career as a travel demand forecaster, predicting who would be likely to use various modes of transportation and when; the explosion in available data has added to accuracy in this effort. “Most people have cellphones now and cellphones provide a richer set of data, such as more points of entrance and destination while using public transit,” she said. “That helps us provide better services to our customers.”

However, “People are afraid of giving their privacy away,” Slaughter emphasized. “It’s important for an agency to identify markets but not to an extent that individuals can be identified.” Aggregating the data will solve this problem, Daberkow said.

In fact, access to too much data could be a problem, the panelists stated. “We have to cut through the noise to find the usable information,” Daberkow explained. “The question becomes, what data do I have and what can I do with them.” Vandendries noted that public transit agencies can share the data, which could total hundreds of millions of data points, with other agencies, broadening the benefit of capturing the information.

Following the discussion, the panelists addressed concerns from the audience. For example, all four speakers responded to questions about cyber­security to maintain the integrity of the data they use. Daberkow cited “tracking the data at all points of the process—taking a holistic approach,” while ­Vandendries noted that agencies need to follow industry best practices, which are continuously evolving.

Answering a question about how Big Data can support ridership growth, Slaughter pointed out that “fixed-route service is only one piece of the pie.” Analyzing rider data can help show who is and who is not riding, which can lead to agencies determining the best way to meet the needs of those who cannot or choose not to use fixed routes. “Information is power,” she added. “The more we know, the better our service can be.”

Also during the General Session, APTA Chair Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. honored the recipients of APTA’s Bus Safety and Security Awards. (See related story in this issue.)

Panelists at the Big Data General Session, from left: moderator William Thomsen, Shannon Daberkow, Kimberly Slaughter and Garrett Vandendries.

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