Stay tuned for updates to MTA’s GTFS data in GIS format

The MTA recently updated its GTFS data to coincide with the major service changes to subways and buses in New York that started this week.  The MTA also updated its iconic subway map showing the changed routes — here’s the new map, and here’s a link to a NY Times article with a before and after review.  (The map also displays updates for stations temporarily closed for construction, major bus connections, and more.)

In an earlier post I talked about how great it was for MTA to publish their data and make it easily accessible for developers and others.  I had converted the initial release to GIS format (as shapefiles) for easy integration into maps, whether for iPhone apps or otherwise.  Now I’ve been poring over the new data, especially the subway data, hoping to update these files.  I’ve come across several issues, as well as (I think) ways to overcome them (or at least help streamline the process for GIS folks like me).  You can get a glimpse into some of these concerns at the MTA Developer Resources list.

I hope to have updated GIS files by week’s end, and will blog about the process, what I uncovered, and will include links to the shapefiles.  If possible, I’ll also try to reconvert the shapefiles back to GTFS format, if that will be helpful to the folks at MTA (and others) using the GTFS data in their apps.

Stay tuned!