THE
PHILIPPINE TRANSIT APP CHALLENGE:
I.T.
COMPETITION FOR INTELLIGENT TRIP-PLANNING BY THE DOTC
Manila, Philippines –
The launch of the first national transport application (app) development
competition led by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC)
will be heldtomorrow, 2 July 2013, in partnership with the
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Cebu City Government.
In a move to maximize the
conveniences made possible by modern technology in delivering its services to
the people, the transport agency is opening its database on bus, train, and
jeepney routes in Metro Manila, called the Philippine Transit Information
Service (PTIS), to the public, via the Philippine Transit App Challenge.
The competition will be a three
(3)-month long hack-at-home event – a new trend in the IT community which
allows software developers to create apps at their own pace and on their own
time, using the same datasets provided to them. Based on the
international experience, hack-at-home events lead to the development of a
broad spectrum of apps, many of which were not previously conceived and which
give end-users a wide range of products to utilize and enjoy.
“We are very excited about the
Challenge and we expect it to bring out a lot of innovation from software
developers. The goal is to create all sorts of apps which will make
commuting in Metro Manila much more convenient,” said DOTC spokesperson Migs
Sagcal.
The PTIS database contains
previously-unavailable data gathered from participating agencies such as the
MMDA, the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), the Metro Rail Transit 3
(MRT-3), the Philippine National Railways (PNR), the Land Transportation
Franchising & Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and the Cebu City Traffic
Operations Management (CITOM).
It will contain two (2) kinds
of datasets: regularly-updated geographic location and service information on
bus, train, and jeepney routes in Metro Manila, as well as live traffic
incident data streams in both Metro Manila and Cebu City.
This means that the commuters
will now be able to easily check the various routes available to take from one
point to another, including how many transfers each route will require, how
much fare will be needed, and how much travel time will be involved. This
will allow the public to make better-informed decisions when they plan their
trips, resulting in more convenience and efficiency, and a better passenger
experience overall.
“The point is to empower the
public with better decision-making abilities using our data. This project
stems from government’s effort to look at public service delivery from the
viewpoint of the end-user, and to make commuting better for everyone,” Sagcal
remarked.
The Philippine Transit App
Challenge, which will be open to all interested app developers, will be
launched at the Toyota Auditorium of the University of the Philippines’ Asia Learning
Center in Diliman, Quezon City, on 2 July 2013 at 9:30am.
More details about the event are available on the competition’s official
website, http://philippine-