CS Student Improves Access to Transit Info, Wins Microsoft Competition

Navigating public transit schedules has always been a bit of a pet peeve for Carson Lam.

"I live near Metrotown, so on my way home from UBC I could take the 99, 87, 41, 43 or 25 bus," says the second-year UBC Computer Science student. "I've always been annoyed that I couldn't easily figure out which one of the buses is arriving next."

So Lam took matters into his own hands and built TransitDB, a site that might just transform the way commuters interact with public transit information.

Among other improvements, TransitDB pulls data from Vancouver's public transit authority's online timetables and aggregates the results by bus loop and exchange, not just by route or stop.

"The overall goal of TransitDB is to improve access to transit information, by presenting the data quickly and clearly, and by making related pieces of content easier to reach," says Lam.

"Normally I'd have to look up the schedules for each route manually. Using TransitDB I can see the departure times for all stops at UBC Loop, in one place."

The solution was impressive enough to win Microsoft's Make Web Not War competition this June. The 'Joes Vs. Pros'-style programming challenge, hosted in Toronto, pits students against professional rivals.

TransitDB also maps out the data using open source standards.

"Presenting route and stop information using a modern and mainstream mapping application like Google Maps is an improvement on proprietary mapping software--it's more up to date and provides better context and navigation."

TransitDB, which looks quite humble on screen, won Lam $8,000 in prizes, a result he in part credits to extracurricular activities at UBC. "I think that my involvement in the Science Undergraduate Society has indirectly empowered me to take action on issues and real-world problems such as these."

The current version of TransitDB covers public transit for the Metro Vancouver region, but Lam may well set his sights higher. "Right now, the site is useful, but is far from complete. There are a ton of features that I still want to implement."

Visit TransitDB online at: www.transitdb.ca