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Chapter 3 - Factors Impacting Transit Agency Decisions about Data Sharing
Pages 20-35

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From page 20...
... Public transit agencies are motivated to share their data by diverse expected benefits, such as transparency and innovation, but they also evaluate risks and consider the costs of preparing data to be shared. Legislation around data sharing and data privacy underlies these decisions.
From page 21...
... In addition to innovative products, data sharing supports public transit research. Nearly all the transit agency interviewees discussed the benefit of external research conducted using their agencies' data.
From page 22...
... It is unclear whether or not these app developers would pay for this data. Other types of transit data are infrequently requested from transit agencies, based on the information received from the transit agency interviewees.
From page 23...
... Customer Benefits Perhaps the most significant benefit that transit agencies consider when sharing data is its potential to positively impact customers. Travel apps that help customers plan public transit trips and alert them to bus and train arrivals can save customers time.
From page 24...
... At least one transit agency interviewee noted their agency was working to include fare information in its public information feeds and ultimately in transportation apps. significant, particularly in data sharing models where transit agencies are able to influence exter nal research to target their needs.
From page 25...
... In many cases, these steps are required even for internal data use, a factor identified by several transit agency interviewees. Interviewees noted that good internal data management practices make data sharing easier.
From page 26...
... Transit agencies must make decisions about aggregation prior to sharing data. Transit agency interviewees reported that they aggregate data for a variety of reasons, including making data easier to use and understand (particularly for non technical audiences)
From page 27...
... Data Cataloging Not all transit agencies have data catalogs, but they can be useful for data sharing. In fact, most of the transit agency interviewees noted that their agencies do not have a centralized data repository, and that data was stored in a variety of locations across the transit agency.
From page 28...
... 3.3 Risks The primary risks that may impact public transit data sharing decisions are privacy, security, data misuse, and strategic risks. Section 2.4 includes checklists and guidance to assist transit agencies in identifying and addressing these risks.
From page 29...
... discusses data privacy regulations in the context of online advertising and suggests that they may inhibit innovation by posing obstacles to start ups and thus favoring large established companies. Transit agencies may be similarly burdened by privacy regulations relative to private mobility providers and private mobility data collectors.
From page 30...
... Those that share individual records do so only with trusted partners who sign a nondisclosure agreement and undergo training in the handling of such data. Instead, transit agencies typically opt to aggregate individual records prior to sharing.
From page 31...
... As a result, sharing this data would require significant effort to review the data and scrub any sensitive information. Strategies and Lessons Learned About Data Privacy Transit agencies have developed a variety of techniques to address privacy concerns when they collect and share data.
From page 32...
... Transit agency interviewees noted the importance of checking data for errors before it is published and of fully documenting data that is published online or provided to partners. In terms of route, schedule, and vehicle arrival data shared with customers through third-party transit apps, several transit agencies are taking steps to actively manage what information is shared (see Section 4.3)
From page 33...
... 3.4  Rules and Legal Issues Laws around data privacy and data management can guide transit agencies in their data sharing practices. However, as Hemerly (2013)
From page 34...
... . These guidelines state that FTA should encourage transit agencies to embrace open data practices for data that does not contain private or personal information or that could create security or safety concerns.
From page 35...
... Instead, transit agencies are subject to state-level disclosure laws. States vary in what types of records and which agencies are subject to their disclosure laws.


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