Development of Transactional Data Specifications for Demand-Responsive Transportation (2020)

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69 Abbreviations AIRIMP A4A/IATA Reservations Interline Message Procedures API application programming interface CSV comma-separated value CUTR Center for Urban Transportation Research DRT demand-responsive transportation DRT-SV demand-responsive transportation—shared vehicle GPS Global Positioning System GTFS General Transit Feed Specification GTFS-flex General Transit Feed Specification—Flexible Transit HIPAA Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act JSON JavaScript Object Notation MaaS Mobility as a Service MSAA Mobility Services for All Americans NEMT nonemergency medical transportation PNR passenger name record RFP request for proposals RTD Regional Transportation District SUTI Swedish: Standardiserat Utbyte av Trafik Information; English: Standard Protocol for Demand Responsive Transport Services TNC transportation network company VTrans Vermont Agency of Transportation XML eXtensible Markup Language XSD eXtensible Markup Language Schema Definition Glossary application programming interface (API) APIs are software intermediaries that allow two applications to talk to one another. booking In this document, booking refers to a formal reservation (date and pickup time) for a demand-responsive transportation (DRT) trip that will be fulfilled by a DRT provider. The terms booking and reservation are essentially synonymous for DRT. broker In this document, a broker refers to a piece of software that receives a DRT trip order and then passes that trip request along to a DRT provider. This piece of software has the capability to translate the initial trip request into a specified message format before passing it along to providers. The software is capable of determining which providers to send it to. Abbreviations and Glossary

70 Development of Transactional Data Specifications for Demand-Responsive Transportation client In this document, a client is an organization that has the travel demand information, which includes trip requests from customers on the demand-responsive transportation system. To fulfill these demands, the client has contracted one or several “providers.” The provider (or operator) has access to vehicles and drivers that will actually fulfill the trips. data element A data element is a unit of data with a precise meaning. It typically has a name, definition, and one or more representations. demand-responsive transportation (DRT) Transportation services in which a rider requests (orders) a trip through an automated or human-based system that schedules each ride onto a vehicle controlled by that system. Vehicles are scheduled and routed in accordance with the demand, including specified origin, destination, desired pickup time, and/or desired arrival time. demand-responsive transportation—shared vehicle DRT services (see previous definition) in which the vehicle is shared with one or more unrelated passenger trips. Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) The Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) is a government agency that provides bus, rail, and demand-responsive public transit in the metropolitan Denver, Colorado, region. This organization is a partner in the trip exchange discussed in Chapter 3. discovery data In this document, discovery data refers to datasets that describe potentially available transportation services to passengers. This differs from transactional data because it does not include all the information necessary for a trip maker or a transportation service provider to book and schedule a specific trip. An example of discovery data for fixed-route transit is General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS); an example for DRT services is GTFS- Flexible Transit (GTFS-flex). dispatch In demand-responsive transportation services, dispatch is the control process (human or virtual) that sends a vehicle to fulfill a trip and monitors vehicle operations. eXtensible Markup Language (XML) The eXtensible Markup Language (XML) is a textual data format that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both machine- and human-readable. It is one of two commonly used formats (along with JSON) for exchanging data among applications. eXtensible Markup Language Schema Definition (XSD) The eXtensible Markup Language Schema Definition (XSD) specifies how to formally describe elements in an XML document. In this document, the proposed transactional data specification uses XSD. General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) The General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) describes fixed-route transit service schedules and stop locations. This is a de facto data standard in the public transit industry because the specification is being used by many public transit providers in the United States and throughout the world. General Transit Feed Specification—Flexible Transit (GTFS-flex) The General Transit Feed Specification for Flexible Transit (GTFS-flex) is a proposed extension—expected to soon be formally adopted—of the General Transit Feed Specification which can be used to describe demand-responsive transportation (DRT) services. It is an example of discovery data because it enables DRT passengers to identify trip possibilities, but it does not contain sufficient information for DRT providers or trip makers to complete the DRT trip booking. Global Positioning System (GPS) Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system that provides geolocation information to receivers. GPS devices are commonly installed on transit and paratransit vehicles.

Abbreviations and Glossary 71 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is the federal legislation statute governing the exchange, transmission, and privacy of an individual’s medical information. JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) is a textual data format that is both machine- and human-readable. It is one of two commonly used formats (along with XML) for exchanging data among applications. message In the context of transactional data, a message is a way that data is transmitted between two parties, such as a DRT client and a DRT provider. It includes an agreed upon type of message with corresponding data elements. For example, there may be a message type to send a trip request to another transportation system and another message type to send a trip to a device in a vehicle. Mobility Services for All Americans (MSAA) The Mobility Services for All Americans (MSAA) is a U.S.DOT initiative to promote partnerships among public, private, and nonprofit orga- nizations to share data and manage resources to improve mobility services. In Chapter 3 of this report, an MSAA project in the Denver region is discussed as an example. nonemergency medical transportation (NEMT) Nonemergency medical transportation (NEMT) refers to transportation service for individuals seeking medical care who are not in an emergency situation. The Medicaid program provides funding for NEMT services for eligible persons enrolled in Medicaid, and such services can include demand-responsive services such as taxi trips and transportation provided by organizations operating wheelchair- accessible vehicles. paratransit Paratransit originally referred to all shared, flexible transportation services: intermediate between the private automobile and fixed-route public transportation, including DRT services. In the United States, paratransit now commonly refers to DRT services for individuals with disabilities, elderly, and other riders with special needs. passenger name record (PNR) Used by the airlines, the passenger name record (PNR) refers to a data specification describing an airline passenger and their flight itinerary, including items such as the passenger’s name, flight number, and airline. point-to-point data communications In this document, point-to-point refers to data communications in which different parties (and their respective software systems) communicate directly with one another via an agreed upon protocol for data exchange. provider (transportation provider) The provider refers to the operator of transportation services. This could be a taxi company, transportation network company, public agency, or other private or government-funded entity that provides demand-responsive transportation services. request for proposals (RFP) A request for proposals (RFP) is a document set forth by an agency or company interested in procuring services or items. Potential service providers or suppliers can then respond to the solicitation with a business proposal. specification A specification is documented technical requirements generally considered working or business documents. standard In this report, a standard refers to technical specifications that have been agreed upon by consensus or established by a neutral third party via a formal process or organizing body. SUTI specification SUTI is a Swedish acronym that stands for “Standardiserat Utbyte av Trafik Information.” SUTI is a transactional data standard for demand-responsive transportation.

72 Development of Transactional Data Specifications for Demand-Responsive Transportation telegram For this transactional data specification, a telegram refers to a message that transmits data with a specific structure and wording (data elements). transactional data Transactional data is shared among two or more organizations to conduct some form of transaction. In the context of demand-responsive transportation (DRT) services, transactional data includes all the information necessary for a transportation service provider to schedule and complete a specific DRT trip. transportation network company (TNC) Transportation network companies (TNCs) are providers of ride-hailing (or ride-sourcing) services. They typically arrange rides for customers via a smartphone application and a technology platform that connects riders and vehicle drivers. use case Use cases are commonly identified in software and systems engineering to define and organize system requirements. A use case is typically made up of a sequence or set of inter- actions to a particular goal. validator For this transactional data specification, the term validator refers to a software tool that allows interested parties, such as DRT service providers, to test transactional data messages in the format of the proposed data specification to verify that the data messages are correctly formatted and to identify any issues associated with the data message’s specification or implementation. Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) is a government organization in the state of Vermont that is responsible for plan- ning, constructing, and maintaining transportation infrastructure. VTrans is discussed in Chapter 3 of this report in an example of GTFS-flex.