1. Announcing the winners of MTA App Quest!

    (Photo: Grand Prize team Embark NYC with a custom 5’ subway sign at Vanderbilt Hall in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal.)

    Earlier today, travelers strolling by Grand Central’s Vanderbilt Hall overheard something historic: the announcement of the winners of MTA App Quest, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s competition for software developers. The MTA challenged developers to create new apps that improve the transit experience of its 8.5 million daily riders. Forty-two apps were submitted, for a range of platforms and devices: Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and more.

    Join us in congratulating the winners!

    • Grand Prize: Embark NYC, by Taylor Malloy and David Hodge of Embark
      This all-purpose transit navigation app for Android and iOS devices offers trip planning, service advisories, interactive maps, schedules and more.
    • Second Prize: Free NYC Subway Locator, by Jordan Hill of Flatiron Factory
      This iOS app automatically calculates the nearest subway entrances to your current location and lists them by direction, in order of proximity by feet. The app also shows the individual station entrance locations, service alerts, and elevator and escalator outages, all using data provided by the MTA.
    • Third Prize: Notify Me NYC, by Emma Assin and Felipe Flores of the Cortelyou Collective
      This Android app notifies you if your subway, Metro-North or LIRR train is experiencing service problems, based on the times of day and days of week you ride.
    • Popular Choice Grand Prize: CityMaps, by Christopher Winfield
      This app combines real-time information about local businesses with subway information about how to reach them.
    • Popular Choice Second Prize: Right Track: Metro-North, by David Waring
      This Android app provides quick access to Metro-North schedules, real-time status updates and track assignments.
    • Large Organization Award: NYC Station Finder, by Slalom Consulting
      This iPhone app allows users to find station entrances with an augmented reality station finder.

    Five apps received honorable mentions from the panel of nine expert judges:

    View all the submissions in the gallery, and download an app today to enhance your own experience of the MTA!

    ‘Embark NYC,’ Multi-Purpose Navigation App, Wins MTA App Quest [mta.info]

    Follow @ChallengePost on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

    By Marci

    Feb 2
    MTA,  MTA App Quest,  challenges,  winners,  
    Comments

  2. May the best app win!

    Cure the Monday blahs with this MTA App Quest video, in which some of the challenge judges talk about what they’re hoping to see and why it’s important that you vote for your favorites. Our own Brandon Kessler (CEO of ChallengePost) even makes an appearance.

    Public voting for MTA App Quest is open until Jan. 11: vote now! You can vote once per day for each of your favorites.

    Follow @ChallengePost on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. Use hashtag #MtaAppQuest when you tweet.

    Dec 19
    MTA,  apps,  
    Comments

  3. Vote for the best new transit app

    Public voting is now open for MTA App Quest! The New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) challenged software developers to create apps that improve the transit experience of 8.5 million daily riders, and now you get to vote for your favorites.

    Apps for Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Mobile, and more

    The 42 submitted apps cover all the ins and outs of getting around NYC — and then some. From alarms to service alerts to social and entertainment apps, there’s something for everyone. And we’re not just talking iOS and Android apps (though there are plenty of those). Use the Type and Platform filters in the submission gallery to see the range of entries.

    Browse the gallery and vote daily for your favorites. You can vote for as many as you want, but only once per day for each submission. As you browse the gallery, you’ll see current standings, showing how important your votes are to each app’s chance of winning a Popular Choice prize.

    Voting ends Jan. 11, and winners will be announced Jan. 16. (Votes must be verified before they can be counted; the totals and rankings you see on the site are not final.)

    MTA App Quest Coverage

    The MTA will be sharing one app a day (in alphabetical order) on Twitter and Facebook through Jan. 11. Follow @MTAInsider on Twitter and like the MTA page on Facebook. Or check MTA.info every Wednesday to see a summary of the previous week’s promoted apps. 

    Use hashtag #MtaAppQuest when you tweet.

    By Marci

    Dec 5
    MTA,  apps,  challenges,  
    Comments

  4. 40 days left to submit: MTA App Quest

    Transit buffs and software developers take note — in addition to more than $15,000 in prizes for winners of MTA App Quest, all participants who submit an eligible app will get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of the Grand Central Terminal.

    Use MTA data to create new apps that improve the transit experience of 8.5 million daily riders. The MTA has posted 4 new datasets, and updated and expanded a fifth.

    Gain recognition by getting your app in front of our star-studded panel of judges that include the World Economic Forum’s Director of Engagement Technologies Noel Hidalgo, NYC Chief Digital Officer Rachel Sterne, NYC Deputy Mayor for Operations Steven Goldsmith, and more.

    Check out the datasets, and submit your application before September 26!

    By: Samantha

    Photo: Allen McGregor

    Follow @ChallengePost on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.


    Aug 18 Comments
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