Leveraging ITS Data for Transit Market Research: A Practitioner's Guidebook (2008) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 28-42
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Enterprise Database Architecture Supporting the Use of ITS Data ITS technologies have the potential to provide substantial information to support and leverage transit market research. Among the transit agencies surveyed in 2005, the potential to provide information for market research was often reported to be blunted by problems with managing ITS data in a manner that allows marketing and others within the organization to readily use the data.
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This process is called "gap analysis." Other inputs to the gap analysis process are the data requirements for existing or planned computerized systems. The enterprise data model design and system integration process must have a clear definition of the extent, or scope, of the data and systems that will initially be contributing and using data from the enterprise data model.
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The broad capabilities available with GIS spatial analysis tools and the data supplied by ITS technologies are ideal for application in the marketing arena. Some of the geographic and/or graphic analysis capabilities that a GIS can provide are • Thematic presentation, • Spatial overlays, • Proximity analysis, • Point density visualization, • Customer location, • Event or incident analysis, • Market segments or characteristics, and • Direct mail marketing.
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The intent of this section is to provide an overview of database architectures that support enterprise data. It will present examples of the most common types of data transactions and how they are set up in relation to data architectures, such as data warehouses and data marts.
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Using these components, the enterprise database would consist of the inclusion of some system's data marts, data extracted from other system's data marts, RDBMS resident data from some systems, and spatial data from GIS. The resulting enterprise database can be defined as the enterprise data warehouse, the combination of many different databases across an entire enterprise.
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Implementing Enterprise Data Management and Integration This section describes a strategy and a process for data management and integration that will result in more and better data being available for marketing and other functions within the organization. Following this strategy would benefit most of the transit organizations interviewed and would 33 Enterprise Data Warehouse (e.g., Oracle)
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ITS Data Validation To ensure accuracy and integrity, ITS data recovered from on-board systems must be validated before being forwarded to the enterprise data system. An essential task in this process involves matching vehicles' AVL data records to their schedules and the base map of stops and time points associated with assigned work.
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This proxy measures the spacing or regularity of service. The third reliability proxy, excess wait, measures the additional time a typical rider would spend waiting for a bus given the actual headway deviations documented in the AVL data.
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for advanced analysis of ITS data. The main advantage of this package is that its programming features allow analysts to directly query the Oracle data tables in the agency's enterprise data system and create data records that can then be easily imported for statistical analysis.
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Headway adherence and excess wait time, spring 2007 (sorted by excess wait time)
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Graphical presentation of service delivery information at TriMet.
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Few, if any, transit properties in the U.S. have developed a service delivery analysis and monitoring capability comparable to what TriMet has achieved with its archived AVL and APC data.
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Despite its large size, the CTA maintained an effective market research department with a staff comparable in numbers to smaller agencies. During the initial deployment of smart cards, AVL, and APCs, the CTA created the Data Services unit, which was responsible for post processing, merging data from various systems, and developing tools for data analysis.
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The role of a data manager is someone who is comfortable using information technology to draw from a number of sources of data and who can use datasets for a variety of purposes. Given the need for increased access of market researchers to the enterprise database, the role of market researcher should be expanded to include the functions of a data manager.
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Another successful effort highlighted in TCRP Report 77 is a program used by Metro-North Railroad called the "Integrated Approach to Recruiting, Training and Retaining Information Technology Professionals." In this recruiting program, "available positions were designed to be broader with more variety rather than a single task." These positions also include a jobprogression calendar that projects upward movement opportunities and depicts the timeframes within which a good employee can expect to advance. Also, employees' opportunities to advance are not limited to managerial roles; they may instead become mentors and sources of technical knowledge for new hires.
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