In a first-of-its-kind deal, Uber is to share its data in an agreement withh the City of Boston, in a move designed to help expand the city’s capability to solve problems.
The data will provide insights to help manage urban growth, relieve traffic congestion, expand public transportation, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Using anonymised trip-level data by ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA), the resources available to the city includes comprehensive, detailed trip-level data from Uber. The data includes distance travelled during trip; duration; the ZCTA in which trip began and ZCTA in which trip ended.
This data can be utilised to help cities achieve their transportation and planning goals without compromising personal privacy. Uber said on their blog: "Smart Cities can benefit from smart data and we will champion municipal efforts devoted to achieving data-driven urban growth, mobility and safety for communities."
Mayor, Martin J. Walsh said: "In Boston, data is driving our conversations, our policy making and how we envision the future of our city. We are using data to change the way we deliver services and we welcome the opportunity to add to our resources. This will help us reach our transportation goals, improve the quality of our neighbourhoods and allow us to think smarter, finding more innovative and creative solutions to some of our most pressing challenges."
To date, most cities have not had access to granular data describing the flows and trends of private traffic. The data provided by Uber will help policymakers and city planners develop a more detailed understanding of where people in the city need to go and how to improve traffic flows and congestion in order to get them there.
