MassDOT Developers Page Beta

Welcome to the BETA version of the MassDOT Developers Page. The information and links found here are meant to serve as resources for developers interested in working with real-time and static transportation data made available by the Executive Office of Transportation and its family of agencies.

MassDOT's Relationship With Developers

Please note: Any use of the Data on the MassDOT Developers Page acknowledges acceptance of MassDOT's Developer's License Agreement. (UPDATED 11/13/2009)
MassDOT and Developer's Relationship Principles (UPDATED 11/13/2009)
Developer's License Agreement (UPDATED 11/13/2009)

MassDOT/MBTA Real-Time XML TRIAL Feed

Access to the MBTA Real-Time XML Trial Feed is governed by the language in the MassDOT Developers License Agreement in addition to the following conditions:

The MBTA reserves the right to suspend the XML data feed, modify the feed, or modify elements of the feed at any time in the MBTA's sole and absolute discretion.
The MBTA will not guarantee any technical support of any kind to users.
No user may execute polling commands more often than every 10 seconds. A user that polls more often than that or otherwise overtaxes the MBTA's system may be suspended or terminated from the data feed.

www.eot.state.ma.us/developers/realtime/

Help Us Improve This Site

Providing this information in open formats is something new for MassDOT and we need your help to improve this site. If you have questions, comments, and ideas about this page or its mission, please contact Chris Dempsey and Josh Robin at the Executive Office of Transportation.

Connect with us on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/MassDOTdev

Join the discussion at our official Google Group:
http://groups.google.com/group/massdotdevelopers?lnk=gcimv

MassDOT Developers Conference

MassDOT held a Developers Conference at the Tang Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on November 14th, 2009. More than 200 guests showed up to discuss the power of Open Data. For more information on the Conference, visit http://www.massdotdevelopersconference09.com

MassDOT Developer's Challenge

On September 28, 2009 MassDOT/EOT announced the 2009 MassDOT Developers Challenge. The Challenge inspired developers to create both applications and data visualizations, to submit them to MassDOT, and to release them to the public. The two top submissions received a CharlieCard valid for one-year of free travel on the MBTA, in addition to recognition at the MassDOT Developers Conference.

Visit the Conference homepage for a gallery of all submissions:
http://www.massdotdevelopersconference09.com

Visualization Challenge: The Visualization Challenge called on developers to use data released through the MassDOT Developers site to show "A day in the life of the MBTA." The data released included all CharlieCard "taps" on average weekdays in the summer and fall. For the full CharlieCard data, view the Visualization Challenge Homepage.

Application Challenge: The Application Challenge called on developers to create applications and to release them the public. Applications were judged on the quality of design, usability, and convenience.

Developers Challenge Rules (PDF 98kb)

Highway Construction Events

Through our partner, SmartRoutes, MassDOT has created an .xml feed of planned construction events within the SmartRoutes coverage area, updated every 24 hours. This feed does not include all roadwork in Eastern Massachusetts, but it does include the vast majority of construction events undertaken by the MassDOT Highway Division, as well as a handful of traffic events that are not construction related. This feed is updated on a 24-hour basis. This is a BETA feed -- please send us suggestions for improvements.

Construction Events XML Summary
Massachusetts Highway Construction Events XML Feed

Transit

For more Massachusetts-based transit innovations, visit our partners:
Bridgewater State Geographics Lab (real-time bus apps for MWRTA and CCRTA)
UMass Amherst's Dieselnet Bus Tracker

Open Format Schedules
The MassDOT Developers Page hosts and links to official schedules, fares and other data in the open Google TransitTM Feed Specification (GTFS). For more information on GTFS, check out: http://code.google.com/p/googletransitdatafeed/

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)
Over the past few years, the people at MBTA Operations have been working to put the MBTA on Google Transit. Thanks to their efforts, we can now release a full set of MBTA schedule data to the public. This feed contains information for all MBTA services, including bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, and ferries, as well as MassPort airport shuttles. Due to difficulties with integrating fare structure into MBTA scheduling software, fare information is not available. This feed is, for the most part, identical to the feed Google Transit is currently using. This dataset includes shape information for all rapid transit and commuter rail lines for better geographic imaging. Shapes for buses have been stripped due to proprietary issues. Also, note that the Silver Line Washington Street has been rechristened the SL4 (South Station) and the SL5 (Temple Place).

There are three versions of the MBTA GTFS file:

The full file, containing all services: