The centerpiece of the urban lifestyle is an extensive, reliable public transportation system. Transit riders are embracing smartphones, 3G, 4G and even tablets. These tools can help us get better information, faster. Learn what changes are giving information in real-time and for trip planning. The New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) created NotifyNYC in 2009 "to enhance NYC's emergency public communications to the public." NotifyNYC allows NYC residents to sign up for transit notifications in a format of their choice, SMS, email, voice recording, Twitter or RSS for any or all boroughs. Numerous third-party applications exist in New York, including Exit Strategy NYC, which tells the user where to wait for the train so as to minimize station exit time upon arrival. San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) website offers developers a huge amount of resources including a comprehensive API with schedules, station information and real-time service updates. The BART site features third-party applications developed using the API for iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac and more. This panel will examine creative new projects that enhance our lives as city residents on the go, including how these websites and applications could reduce costs, bureaucracy and response time in public transit.
Jerry is a PhD Student at UC Berkeley, graduating in December 2011.
His area of research is: Leveraging persuasive technology and open transportation data to change mode choice behavior. His latest work involves developing applications to track and maintain sustainable transportation behavior. As unrelated as they may seem, his interests lie at the intersection of transportation, machine learning, HCI, and psychology.
Prior to returning to graduate school, Jerry was a software engineer at BAE Systems and studied computer engineering at UC San Diego.
Julie Blitzer is the User Experience Lead at Advomatic, a web development company whose clients include non-profits and political
organizations. As part of the Advoteam, Julie helps clients translate their ideas into complex web applications and communities designed to achieve strategic goals, whether they be winning elections, passing a key bill or promoting a non-profit's success. Prior to joining Advomatic, Julie worked in New York politics, including the Manhattan district office of Rep. Jerrold Nadler (NY-08). and on the technology team for
Mark Green for Attorney General in 2006.
Julie is the Director of the New York City Chapter of the New Leaders Council and was previously Institute Co-Chair and a 2009 Fellow.
She was the Social Media Strategist for the YDA 2009 Local Chapter of the Year Manhattan Young Democrats. At MYD, she managed online outreach and social media for New Yorkers for Marriage Equality and appeared on CNN.com's Blogger Bunch. Julie has a B.A. in Government from Claremont McKenna College, where she wrote her thesis on the relationship between technology and political campaigns.
Michael Uffer is the principal of dev408, a software development firm located in Brooklyn,NY.
Michael has over 25 years of experience working in the field. Starting with the Commodore 64 and Apple II at Sesame Street, he now develops applications for government, non profits and the private sector. He specializes in GIS, Mobile and Content management systems, and whatever else comes down the pike in the next 25 years.
