The ChallengePost Blog

MTA App Quest awards ceremony at Grand Central Terminal on February 2, 2012.

Explore all the great apps that improve the transit experience of 8.5 million daily MTA riders at MTAAppQuest.com!

Feb 6

MTA App Quest, awards ceremony,

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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:

Annadale: Staten Island Train & Ferry, by Mike Raney
Art by Subway NYC, by Matthew Vincent
NYC Travel, by Fernando Garza and Chevon Christie
OnBoard, by Reed Martin
Right Track: Metro-North, by David Waring

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]

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By Marci

Feb 2

MTA, MTA App Quest, challenges, winners,

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Excellent article from the New York Times about MTA App Quest: “In M.T.A. App Contest, Many Buttons Worth Pushing”

Check out all the apps from the contest at MTAAppQuest.com, and vote for your favorites before 5 p.m. EST Wednesday, January 11!

A version of this article appeared in print on January 8, 2012, on page MB3 of the New York edition of the New York Times with the headline: In M.T.A. Contest, Many Buttons Worth Pushing. Article by Joshua Brustein. Illustration by Christoph Hitz.

Jan 10

MTA App Quest, New York Times, Apps,

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MTA App Quest: extended deadline + new data

What’s better than data? More data! The MTA will soon release some new data on its website. And to give you time to work with the new goodies, we’re extending the MTA App Quest submission deadline to October 17.

The MTA hopes to post the new datasets by October 1. Stay tuned to the challenge website or this blog for updates. Better yet, follow the challenge and you’ll get an email when the new data is available.