Web conference notes, 2025.07.31 (MDS Working Group)

MDS Working Group

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Agenda

Push Policy and External References

Congratulations and thanks to Vlad at LADOT and Pierre at Blue Systems for being elected our new committee co-chairs!

Agenda

1. Intro and announcements (5 min)
2. Status of CDS 1.1 release (10 min)
3. External References in MDS - CDS, PR (10 min)
4. Policy Updates (30 min)
   1. Push Policy - issue, PR
   2. Policy can require authorization - issue, PR
   3. Distance travelled rule - issue, PR

WGSC Meeting Organizers

• Host: Pierre Bouffort, Blue Systems
• Facilitator: Michael Schnuerle, OMF
• Preparation: Michael Schnuerle, OMF
• Outreach: Michael Schnuerle, OMF
• Note taker: Michael Schnuerle, OMF

Action Items and Decisions

1. Policy Push - add option to push Geography - Michael OMF (done)
2. Open new Issue to track ideas on Notification/Communication API/endpoint - Blue Systems

Minutes

• 38 Attendees
• OMF Slides
• Recording - Password #d9@cYU3

Notes

External References in MDS - CDS, PR

An External Reference object describes a specific feature from an external data source that is relevant to a part of MDS data. This allows MDS users to reference other data sources that impact or provide information about an MDS object, and see more details at an external URL. Data sources can be anything available via a URL, including an existing data standard (CDS, WZDx, CWZ, GTFS, GBFS, MDS, etc), a custom feed, API, document, web page, report, etc.

• Can link to any data spec or API, doc, URL, etc

• External references https://github.com/openmobilityfoundation/mobility-data-specification/pull/952

• Pierre, Blue System: has been doing this unofficially, welcome this as a big step forward in a draft proposal, great addition

• Miami, SANDAG - Provider API services, external data references. Need more data in MDS, supplemental data. Revenue Hours, on time performance for transit.

  • Data outside of MDS get external reports monthly, like crashes, can work with WG to add officially
  • Could be added in a new time of report
  • Could do it your way and bring it back to WG on GitHub
  • Transit - NTD - National Transit Database definition
  • Funding data in MDS... maybe outside of current MDS structure, maybe part of Provider Reports?
  • 2.1 will be supporting fixed route, bus stops, breadcrumbs, links to GTFS

Push Policy - issue, PR

Allows agencies to push a newly created policies to operators, similar to the Agency API. This push method creates the opportunity for near real-time communication of policy changes.

• Less overhead, data transfer, easier near real time communications of changes

• Currently checking Policy monthly, weekly, daily, maybe down to the minute, with a lot of overhead with infrequent changes

• Did this with CDS push Events

• Seattle and Blue Systems are planning to use this for 911 to AV digital real time policy and geofencing

• Pierre: really is the simpilest way to implement push Policy

• Recommend adding new Geography API push - otherwise need to check/fetch it

• Will make updates faster and maybe more straightforward is if both are push

• Julia, SFTMA: want the flexibility to push or pull

• Alex, SFMTA: what is the delay for push vs pull geography

  • probably not much delay, maybe a few seconds
  • more about parity and choice for both now - same data object either way
  • Could get into push for Jurisdictions and Metrics too in MDS 3.0

• Also note that a new issue need to be opened to add "A new Message/Notification/Communication endpoint/API" - Pierre

• MDS release plan 2.1 timeline and open issues https://github.com/openmobilityfoundation/governance/wiki/Release-2.1.0

• There is time to get your thoughts in for 2.1

Policy can require authorization - issue, PR

• Allows for authentication when use cases justify it
• Used to be that Policy must be public. Here we are giving the option to make it authenticated if needed.

Distance travelled rule - issue, PR

• Adding a 'distance' rule type to the Policy API
• Example from NYC DOT - every x miles travelled, vehicles need to go into maintenance
• Maybe carshare VMT road damage fee, etc
• Already have speed and time, adding distance

Chat

• 00:07:26 Bern Grush, Urban Robotics Foundation: Is there a definition for “near misses?”

• 00:07:30 Steph Piperno: Could someone share that link?

• 00:08:51 Andrew Glass Hastings (OMF): Link to the materials from last MDS WG call about incidents and crash data…

• https://github.com/openmobilityfoundation/mobility-data-specification/wiki/Web-conference-notes,-2025.07.10-(MDS-Working-Group)

• 00:08:58 Steph Piperno, Denver Regional Council of Governments: Thank you!

• 00:11:46 Michael Schnuerle (OMF): CDS Plan page https://github.com/openmobilityfoundation/curb-data-specification/wiki/Release-1.1.0

• 00:11:58 Andrew Glass Hastings (OMF): Mark your calendars - The OMF Summit will happen as part of CoMotion LA this year November 12-13. We will have great programming highlighting many of the latest use cases and development of MDS and CDS.

• 00:12:26 Halina Do-Linh (LADOT): Reacted to "Mark your calendars ..." with 🎉

• 00:13:43 stefan w. Seattle DOT: @Andrew Glass Hastings (OMF): Hi Andrew. I wanted to apologize for leaving yesterday's meting early. An issue came up that I needed to address in realtime. With Armand moving to the MO, I will try to be more involved.

• 00:14:14 Michael Schnuerle (OMF): External references https://github.com/openmobilityfoundation/mobility-data-specification/pull/952

• 00:15:28 Michael Schnuerle (OMF): Object https://github.com/openmobilityfoundation/mobility-data-specification/blob/feature-external-ref/data-types.md#external-reference

• 00:18:15 Michael Schnuerle (OMF): Reacted to "Link to the material..." with 👍

• 00:18:39 Andrew Glass Hastings (OMF): Replying to "@Andrew Glass Hastin..."

• Thanks for the note Stefan, and no worries. Things come up! Appreciate your support and engagement!

• 00:19:32 Michael Schnuerle (OMF): Replying to "Is there a definitio..."

• Check the recording and notes, there was some talk about this, more in prior meetings. But mostly it’s left up to the jurisdiction.

• 00:21:22 Andrew Glass Hastings (OMF): Sounds like adding additional fields to MDS that aren’t there now.

• 00:21:41 Gene Leynes | Chicago: Replying to "Is there a definitio..."

• I feel confident saying this is a topic of debate.

• 00:21:49 Tom Callahan (Ride Circuit): Reacted to "I feel confident say..." with 🫠

• 00:22:37 Andrew Glass Hastings (OMF): @Tom Callahan (Ride Circuit) - can you send us an email with the data fields you are looking to repot through MDS?

• 00:23:05 Aylene McCallum (OMF): Replying to "Is there a definitio..."

• It is a definition worthy of a substantial conversation ;)

• 00:24:01 Gene Leynes | Chicago: Can you define NTB level reporting please?

• 00:24:25 Tom Callahan (Ride Circuit): Reacted to "@Tom Callahan (Ride ..." with 👍

• 00:24:33 Andrew Glass Hastings (OMF): NTD - National Transit Database

• 00:24:46 Michael Schnuerle (OMF): Reacted to "NTD - National Trans..." with 👍

• 00:24:53 Andrew Glass Hastings (OMF): FTA requires reporting through NTD

• 00:25:43 Halina Do-Linh (LADOT): Reacted to "NTD - National Trans..." with 👍

• 00:26:15 Gene Leynes | Chicago: Reacted to "NTD - National Trans..." with 👍

• 00:28:27 Alex Demisch (SFMTA): Would be great for MDS to support NTD reporting… might need to have some separate discussions on the definition of the metrics and ensure that data is being rolled up correctly

• 00:30:22 Michael Schnuerle (OMF): Push policy https://github.com/openmobilityfoundation/mobility-data-specification/pull/951

• 00:34:31 Michael Schnuerle (OMF): Reacted to "Would be great for M..." with 👍

• 00:37:03 stefan w. Seattle DOT: Seattle keeps emergency scenes clear by alerting smart vehicles of incidents in near real-time - SDOT Blog

• 00:37:47 stefan w. Seattle DOT: KUOW - Seattle among cities looking to prevent robotaxis from rolling into emergencies

• 00:37:56 Michael Schnuerle (OMF): Reacted to "Seattle keeps emerge..." with 🎉

• 00:41:41 Michael Schnuerle (OMF): MDS release plan 2.1 https://github.com/openmobilityfoundation/governance/wiki/Release-2.1.0

• 00:42:26 Julia Friedlander: Not positive I am understanding, and I'm doing some guesswork for our emergency responders -- I think they will want flexibility to define geography but would appreciate the push once they define.

• 00:42:54 Michael Schnuerle (OMF): Reacted to "Not positive I am un..." with 👍

• 00:43:23 Michael Schnuerle (OMF): All open issues tagged for 2.1 at the moment. https://github.com/openmobilityfoundation/mobility-data-specification/milestone/17

• 00:46:54 Gene Leynes | Chicago: Related: I wonder if pushing the geographies would mean pushing the geography ids or the geography JSON

• 00:52:46 Michael Schnuerle (OMF): Authentication language draft changes for Policy https://github.com/openmobilityfoundation/mobility-data-specification/pull/949/files

• 00:53:31 Chay Mosqueda | Wasatch Front Regional Council: I have to run a little early today, thank you guys!

• 00:53:32 Alex Demisch (SFMTA): I think it makes sense to include a Push version of geography as an option. Would be up to the implementers on whether or not to use it. Would get us towards the goal of having a Push and Pull option for each API.

• 00:54:34 Michael Schnuerle (OMF): Reacted to "I think it makes sen..." with 👍

• 00:57:26 Michael Schnuerle (OMF): Distance travelled https://github.com/openmobilityfoundation/mobility-data-specification/pull/950/files

• 00:58:02 Julia Friedlander: Haven't been here for a while and it's exciting to see so much progress. Thanks for all the work!