PennDOT Goes Transparent: Opens Transit Data to the Public

Less than a month after Governor Tom Wolf announced steps to make Pennsylvania’s data more transparent and accessible to the public, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has launched an Open Data portal housing data ranging from roadway pavement conditions to rail facility locations.

The portal leverages a GIS platform used in several states and helps local government, planning and business partners as well as the public. The data, grouped by roadways, bridges, rail, facilities, boundaries and projects, can be used for mapping, sharing, charting and more.

According to PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards, “Transportation is vital to our way of life and the more people can use our data, the better our overall services will be for Pennsylvanians.”

The data also offers an opportunity for application developers, students and others in private industry to analyze or pursue infrastructure issues and opportunities, Richards said.

The majority of the available data is updated daily, with some more static data such as boundaries, facilities and railway receiving periodic updates. The site is compatible with any device or platform.

In addition, the public can request access to PennDOT’s real-time, streaming video from its more than 700 traffic cameras as well as its Road Condition Reporting System Data, which provides real-time traffic incident, roadwork and other data.

Category: Featured, General Update, Transit News