Web Conference 2021.09.22 Curb - openmobilityfoundation/curb-data-specification GitHub Wiki

Web Conference - Curb Working Group

  • Every other week Tuesday (this week WEDNESDAY) call at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 6pm CET

Conference Call Info

Zoom Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lcuCgrjwsHNyZRagmc86b12iCmWGBHfjq

Agenda

Main Topics

  1. Welcome and process (5 min) - Brian Hamlin, SDOT
  2. Curbs/Events/Metrics status (5 min) - Michael Schnuerle, OMF
  3. Use Case Presentation (5 min) - Robert Ferrin, Columbus Ohio
  4. Putting CDS All Together (40 min)

Organizers

  • Hosts: Brian Hamlin (SDOT), Michael Schnuerle (OMF)
  • Note Taker: Kenya Wheeler (SFMTA)
  • Facilitator: Angela Giacchetti (OMF)
  • Outreach: Brian Hamlin

Minutes

Notes

Action Items

  • Pilot Project guide
  • CDS Use Cases
  • All - Review diagram and provide feedback via Wiki or directly to OMF CWG
  • Michael - Prepare a portion of the diagram under each Use Case in the Use Case document

Intro

  • Brian opened the meeting and welcomed attendees.
  • Goal: Help cities and companies pilot and scale dynamic curb zones, optimize for commercial loading and passengers
  • Reviewed three key data specification (CDS) outputs:
    • Curbs – specify load zone and regulations; Events – reviewing data at the curb; Metrics - standardized measurements of curb activity
  • Timeline – Near end of this initial phase; targeting for 1.0 release by end of 2021.

CDS Update

  • Michael Schnuerle, OMF. Curbs, Events, Metrics, API Status – Architectural decisions documented in GitHub; Today we will discuss Use Cases
  • Curbs API Specification – First Draft is being completed by the WGSC and posted in the CDS Curbs API in Github
    • Consensus on six high level discussion topics.
  • EVENTS API Specifications
    • Draft of data in each event; 5 discussion questions have been posted on Github; Please leave your feedback now and we will discuss at the next meeting (in two weeks)
  • METRICS API Specifications
    • We have settled on most items; open discussion still
    • Data will be returned as a dynamic query, but open to discussion in future meeting

CURB POLICY USE Case: City of Columbus

  • Robert Ferrin, Assistant Director for Parking Services, Department of Public Serivce, City of Columbus provided attendees with an overview of initiatives in the City of Colubmus.
  • Robert is on the board of IPMI and co-chair with Brent Wood of the IPMI technology task force.
  • Parkcolumbus.com – city website; Robert pointed out Columbus leading work on Electric Vehicle usage; fleet electrification; six neighborhood parking planning efforts with active management of parking.
  • Current state of the practice: IPMI survey and noted that the top focus of practioners for curb management is Commercial Operations Convenience. Access is key – for businesses, residents. Revenue isn’t a current top request.
  • 2019-2020 – Columbus conducted a pilot with Curbflow, building on their work in D.C. ; Converted 8 curbsides to “Loading Management Zones” for a six-month period; Used third party data to identify zones; ground truthed locations; Required pre-registration and reservations for --- Loading Zones using an app.
  • Biggest lessons: Diversity in operators and users – 2,150 registered commercial and on-demand drivers representing 100 fleets (companies); worked with both major traditional companies and local businesses; Focus on end goals of providing convience; mitigation unsafe conditions;
  • Great data: 18,800 check-ins; 7 minutes average dwell time. Data confirmed that current regulatory strategy doesn’t fit with the demand. - Highest demand areas in pilot were adjacent to The Ohio State University (OSU).
  • Did get some data from Uber and lyft; On-Demand Delivery was very compliant – users were excited to have a legal space to use.
  • Lessons Learned: Extremely popular with drivers; helped to setup lines of communications with operators;
  • Improvement areas: only 8 zones, operators need this scale to citywide to enhance utility; automation required – using apps to manage use of zones doesn’t work for driveres; enforcement needs enhancement – reconfigure policies, staffing to accommodate change from 1-2 hr to enforcement in 7 minute increments.
  • Pilot to Scale – Core Components: Digitize the curb; Demand-based Curb Management;
  • Issued an RFI with a seven element (Summer 2020); Issued RFP in Spring 2021; Selected vendor (now in negotiations, can’t mention name yet) Summer 2021. Selected program includes cameras to monitor
  • CDS is key to having a common language and basic rules of engagement for cities to work with operators across the country;
  • Other cities are also working on these issues; “we are at a tipping point” to move this forward/.

Questions/Answers

  • Michael – using an app and getting data from operators?

  • Robert – lesson learned is automation is key for larger operators, e.g. delivery truck recognized by camera with auto check-in and check-out; different solution needed for small operators

  • Brian: How did you get so many drivers? Robert – worked with curbFlow – pr; signage at curb zones; worked with major business to identify vendor; used staff to contact vendors on curb; city staff reached out to major delivery companies; challenges: list of potential users grew consistently. More efficient way to identify users needs to occur to scale.

  • John Good (Ford AV): Noted that Columbus kept identify more drivers, how did unregistered drivers get access to Loading Zones? Robert: reservation and on-demand elements would occur; enforcement of occupied zones . Most pilot participants didn’t reserve due to primary users (UberEats, etc.) were intermittent users. Enforcement is a key challenge – requirement of placing tickets on windshields is a limiting factor. Automating curb management including enforcement will require legislative changes for most cities, very needed.

  • Lessons: With major operators, fragmentation within the industry was a key lesson. Not just corporate leaders, but operation division E.g. FedEx Ground; FedEx Express

  • From Robert McFarin: Unfortunately I have to run to another meeting. My email is [email protected] and happy to answer questions there.

CDS: Putting It All Together

  • CDS concepts: Policy; Places; Events; Metrics

  • One slide identified the CDS Structure concept

  • Michael explained how the Metrics API encompasses both the Curbs API and the Events API.

  • Within the Curbs API: Policies and Places, Places broken into Area; zones; Spaces. Event API – includes Events

  • Areas can reference zones; Spaces can reference zones

  • Any number of zones looking at the same policy.

  • Event data derives from Sensor or a Vehicle; Sensor detects a vehicle and sends an event; A networked Vehicle could also push out an event when it arrives at a zone and pushes it out into the Event; Status – the ability for sensors (& maybe vehicles?) to check-in.

  • Events flow to Area, Zone or Space.

  • Metrics API: Five defined metric: Total Events (time frame, geographic area, zone); Turnover; Dwell Time; Occupancy Percent; Productivity Index

  • Michael then provided additional detail with zones and spaces.

  • Under the Curb API Spect, there is an optional spec for real-time availability under Zone or Space; and Zones can be referenced to an external linear reference system. CDS is NOT a linear reference system, but LR can be used with CDS.

  • Policies – break down into Rates and Time Spans; Rules break down into Rates; User Class and Activity.

  • Michael noted CDS is meant to be similar to MDS as it is modular

  • Example: Publishing Curb Rules only requires an operator to use the Curbs API solely; to publish just policies and geographic zones. No need for Events and Metrics

  • Example: Track Sensor Events

  • Events API tracks events from a sensors; publishes to Curb API for Zones and Spaces

  • Real Time Availability: publishing real-time: Curbs API: to publish policies by Zone; Event API would publish event data to Area, zones, space. No metrics involved

  • Company Usage and Vehicle Data: if you have partnership with a company;

  • CDS Use Cases – created document to get you started and document use cases

  • CDS Pilot Project Guide – you can review and leave comments

Open Discussion

  • Are use cases missing?

  • Does CDS align with your vision for curb projects?

  • Who do we need to explain CDS to? What resources are needed?

  • Other feedback on communicating information on CDS?

  • Reviewed Use Cases and Pilot Project Guide

Comments/Questions

  • From Dawn Miller. It would be good to explain CDS to the transportation consulting world - they are often advising cities and speaking publicly about these issues. Explained that firms like N/N; Sam Schwartz; they work with cities and advise cities and should be plugged into this effort. Michael asked to send names to him and Jascha; DM said She can provide names

  • Sensor question: Sensor sends event information to storage; event data connected to a zone. If you are sending available out; then you have to get availability information in.

  • Status – provides information on if the sensor is active and returning data; possibly could provide an update on if a sensor is seeing an occupied event (and that data can be linked to zone via Curb API spec)

  • Michael: Question: we have technical description of APIs in GitHub; graphics shown today provide more summary detail: are these diagrams shown useful? Who would they be useful for?

  • Marisa Mangan – very useful for cities and providers, as modular this can show what is useful for a pilot project. Q: is it possible to chose one API and pair it with a metric?

  • Michael: Perhaps useful to include a portion of the diagram under each Use Case in the Use Case document. Marisa agrees.

Wrap-up

  • Angela Giacchetti (OMF Member Engagement Manager):
  • Walked attendees through the participation checklist; including CDS wiki; email list; bi-weekly meeting; CDS repository on Github; Blog Post on OMF website with an overview of the program