MTA Data & APIs

Your submissions to the hackathon or online challenge must use at least one MTA data set or API. MTA data can be accessed at: http://mta.info/developers/

Don't forget to check out the AT&T APIs as well.

Other Data & APIs

We encourage you to use other data sets and APIs in your app. For your convenience we’ve listed many great API’s and datasets at http://bxmc.poly.edu/appquest, but you are not limited to these. In addition, you might want to use some of the links below.

Please email us or post to the Discussion page if you know of other data or APIs we should include.

MTA Wish List

Note: Apps addressing the opportunity areas below will be eligible to win the Best MTA Wish List App prize in the online competition in addition to other prizes. Apps that do not address the opportunity areas below are still eligible for the Best Overall, Honorable Mention, Large Organization, and Popular Choice Awards.

  • Multimodal: Applications and sites that demonstrate novel, customer-facing uses of the MTA’s real-time API’s, schedules, and rider alerts to successfully empower trip planning, leveraging MTA APIs, routes and schedules in new ways. We are particularly interested in solutions that aggregate MTA real-time data and service notifications with schedules and routes for multimodal transit, e.g. subway to bus to LIRR to Metro-North.
  • Data Crowdsourcing: Applications and sites that demonstrate novel use of cellular networking / app location services to generate real-time origin and destination data that can be used to track and broadcast up-to-date information on MTA service; specifically, we are interested in applications that will provide ridership with real-time train data based on crowdsourced location services as cellular service becomes available in MTA subway stations.
  • Personal / Social App Integration: Applications that integrate MTA routes, schedules, and real-time feeds into the personal / social space. For example, we are interested in applications that link MTA ridership into personal time-efficiency and productivity applications (e.g. meeting calendars, etc.); that improve MTA ridership awareness around energy and environmental literacy, e.g. how to reduce carbon footprint through mass transit; and that enable the tracking of personal trip data and Metrocard / ticket usage and expenses.
  • Way-finding: Customer-facing applications and sites that find new ways to visualize way-finding and trip planning, and that visualize MTA multimodal real-time data in new ways. In particular, we are interested in applications that improve subway and rail station way-finding based on public data (e.g. where to stand on a platform to exit at a specific intersection upon arrival, etc.).
  • Investment Visualization: Applications and sites that provide a visualization of the MTA’s capital program in progress in order to provide ridership with data-driven information about its regional economic and ridership impact.

Additional MTA App Ideas

  • Applications and sites that integrate MTA-based transit information with other transit needs of its ridership, particularly in the areas of paratransit (people with disabilities) and transportation alternatives such as the NYC Bike Share program.
  • Customer-facing applications that empower specific disability groups as valued members of the MTA ridership (e.g. verbal instruction applications for station way-finding).
  • Applications that address specific operational challenges within the MTA, such as the integration of MTA public reporting into public-facing, interactive sites.

More Questions?

If you have questions about the MTA data or APIs check out the MTA Developers Google Group. For questions about the MTA AT&T App Quest Hackathon or Challenge, email Support@ChallengePost.com