I do work with "open data" on a near-obsessive basis and -- friends, please do not trust "open data" portals to reflect reality accurately. The datasets are often curated, categories changed during the ETL processes, rows missing, and things like that. For example, Chicago's "crimes" dataset intentionally doesn't include all homicides. Can't remember the exact dataset, but I once had a conversation with Chicago's head of open data who told me that they intentionally removed many rows because they were concerned that the public was going to misinterpret the results... but didn't make it clear that rows were missing. So I guess everybody gets the opportunity to misinterpret the results!
FOIA is the better alternative because it gives you the original, pre-cleaned data. Open data is a lie.
Some really nice example visualizations from Matt Yarri and Julia Lynn at the MTA: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/matt-yarri_some-of-the-data-w...
https://new.mta.info/article/introducing-subway-origin-desti...
Would be neat if instead an open-ended challenge ("here's some data, do something cool") the MTA instead shared a list of hypothetical or real problems to solve and provided data that could be potentially useful in the exploration/solution to the problem.
Time for someone to crack their knuckles and do a Power Broker-style MTA Open Data mashup :-)
Hold my Metrocard.
The prize is very underwhelming. If they really want people to spend effort on it, they need to make the prize worth it.
Seems perfect actually! Attracts people that are interested in the subject matter, not just a proposed reward.
> “The winner will receive a vintage New York City Transit item from our memorabilia collection.”
Depends what it is. Long as it’s not something you could steal yourself. Ha!
One of the options is literally a trash can! https://new.mta.info/document/85441
Or perhaps... a subway seat? https://new.mta.info/document/85661
I’d give multiple weeks of time for a city trash can lol
Their collection of vintage gum scrapings perhaps?
If you're doing it for the prize, then you're not the targeted audience :-)
Never underestimate the value of surplus NYC subway memorabilia to a transit enthusiast. Especially signage from retired rolling stock.
IMO it deliberately establishes a tone. This challenge is for rail fans, it’s not a generalised “use our API” hackathon type thing.
Plus the MTA has a huge budget crunch. I really don’t think they could justify spending money on something with such an unclear outcome.
Why would you region block a webpage like this
> Why would you region block a webpage like this
As a part-time New York City taxpayer, I'd rather we not be paying EU lawyers to make sure the MTA's open data complies with European law.
https://web.archive.org/web/20240927144204/https://new.mta.i...
I can access it just fine from Sweden :shrug:
Reading their terms, I'm guessing it's due to:
> 3. Eligibility: The Challenge is open to legal residents of the United States. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older as of their date of entry. The Challenge is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited by law. Employees and contractors of the MTA, its subsidiaries, affiliates, and directors (collectively the “Employees”), as well as members of an Employee’s immediate family and/or those living in the same household, are ineligible to participate in the Challenge.
yeah but wouldn't you want to create enough buzz globally so word of mouth can spread to more US entrants?
I don't disagree with you at all, I'm just speculating over why they'd block it.
Because the next thing you know the EU is suing you for billions of Euros.
Expect to see more of this, especially when the audience is local/US. IIRC, some newspapers are already doing region blocks. Why should website owners targeting US visitors spend _any_ amount of money making their content comply with asinine regulations (like cookie banners)?
Cookie banners are not a regulation requirement.
Contrary to what you seem to believe...There were more geoblocks when the EU law went into action a couple of years ago. There are less now.
"Doctor it hurts…", IANAL.
I mean … as I understand the Europeans' law, only if you're doing dumb things to begin with, like giving users' data away to random 3rd parties hellbent on shoving "ads" down one's throat. If you had just made this site a simple HTML page that just had the information the MTA wanted to convey on it, AIUI the EU doesn't have a problem.
Which … the MTA does appear to be, sending requests to Google, LinkedIn, and some other CDNs.
I also don't think the MTA has any EU presence, so what are they going to do?
> as I understand the Europeans' law, only if you're doing dumb things to begin with, like giving users' data away to random 3rd parties hellbent on shoving "ads" down one's throat
There is a massive difference between complying with the law and proving you comply. (Think: IRS audit.)
> don't think the MTA has any EU presence, so what are they going to do?
Send letters. The MTA would be obligated to respond to them, which means legal bills.
> ...AIUI the EU doesn't have a problem
We're talking about a US transit agency. Even thinking about whether the EU has a problem with the agency's website is sort of absurd to begin with.
Did this US transit agency, MTA, obtain permission from all EU citizens who traveled on the MTA to share their data with the whole world?
> Did this US transit agency, MTA, obtain permission from all EU citizens who traveled on the MTA
Not how jurisdiction works.
Eh this conversation has nothing to do with people traveling on MTA services. We’re talking about people accessing the MTA website. Two different things.
can someone share the data?
what a tragedy, this person never learned how to read.
Intersting challenge. Here is the NotebookLM Audio: MTA's Open Data program https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/286a30b9-b17f-4dac-9e...