Visualizing MBTA Data

Visualizing MBTA Data is a web based interactive visualization that provides a glimpse into the performance and behavior of Boston's subway system. This talk outlines how we combined traditional and modern visualization techniques to make a multifaceted exploratory visualization. The visualization combines information from the MBTA's recently published real time data feed and historical data about the people entering and exiting the T to examine the effects of schedule, congestion, and delay on the train system. We'll cover the design and implementation of this visualization from mockups to prototypes to finished product. We'll also cover how we addressed challenges such as processing over 30gb of data quickly using node.js, scaling d3.js to handle our large datasets, and using it to make a responsive web-based visualization. We'll share what interesting insights we learned about the subways of Boston, the people who ride them, and how they affect each other.

Presented by local software engineers Mike Barry from Twitter and Brian Card from ViaSat, both part-time students at WPI who expanded on this project from a graduate course on data visualization.

Come to Bentley University (address in the location info above), Smith Technology Center, room 116.