Consumer data released by Citi Bike NYC might help New Yorkers plan their most efficient commutes yet.
In honor of reaching 100,000 annual members—who’ve already taken 7 million spins about town—the bike-share operation released eight months of trip history on March 31 for use by statisticians, developers, and graphic artists.
The data gives insight into how users have been navigating city streets as well as who’s taking trips. The available information is basic, including stats on trip durations, distances, and routes, as well as rider gender and age. Data junkies have already synthesized trip histories into useful maps and distilled data sets.
Want to settle disputes between friends who insist they know the fastest way from Point A to Point B? Check out data visualizations showing when certain streets are most crowded, or how people change their route when it rains.
City planning experts are also excited about the data’s potential to inform sustainable urban design. Rather than base building plans on limited decades-old census material, planners can mine Citi Bike data that shows how and why people get around.
Those interested in creating projects of their own with Citi Bike’s information can download the data from its website.