89: The fascinating, undiscovered world of the GBFS micromobility data formats

Micromobility data standards are the rails new micromobility juggernauts will be built on.In this episode, Oliver interviews Sam Herr, Executive Director of North American Bikeshare Association (NABSA), and Heidi Gennin, Shared Mobility Product Manager at Mobility Data, about the Generalized Bikeshare Feed Specification (GBFS) data format.Admittedly, it sounds dry, and yet, it’s a fascinating episode, with Heidi and Sam doing a great job explaining both what it is and why something as simple as a data format can supercharge the development of non-car transportation in our cities.Specifically they dig into:What is a Data format and why does it matter?What is the GBFS and how does it connect to NABSA, Rocky Mountain Institute, and the GTFS.How does the GBFS relate to the Mobility Data Specification?Which countries around the world use the data standards for their bike shares, and why this is a rapidly growing spaceWhat challenges they face in developing a global data standardHow they’re thinking about future open vehicle protocols, including ride hailing and car share.In the meantime, be sure to check out Horace’s upcoming keynote “Micromobility’s Moment” on the 10th of September at 12-1pm EST. It’s going to be amazing - an instant classic, with thundering narrative arcs backed up with detailed data about the State of the Micromobility World not just both before and after COVID, but in the wider context of our transport systems and a better world. Tickets are $20, and you can register here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit micromobility.substack.com/subscribe