Shared Mobility Interactive Mapping Data Sources

The SUMC mapping website draws from a variety of data sources to show the existing and opportunities for expanded shared mobility, along with other demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.

The data sources can be categorized into three types: Shared Mobility Infrastructure, Demographics, and Shared Mobility Opportunity Analysis.

Shared Mobility Infrastructure

Carshare counts and locations

The carshare data reflect December 2016 vehicle and location counts provided by the listed operators’ APIs or websites. Getaround locations and counts were collected in December 2016. One-way carsharing service area boundaries are current as of late 2016.

Bikeshare counts and locations

The bikeshare data are based on 2016 high-season counts to reflect the full extent of bikesharing fleets, since many operators run at reduced fleet size or shut down completely in cold-weather months; for a few systems launched in 2016, data are listed or mapped only if it were available. Location and count data are collected through the listed operators’ APIs or websites.

Ridesourcing service areas

Ridesourcing service areas are based on boundaries provided by the respective companies’ websites as of 2016. Markets where the companies have suspended operations are noted in the legend, though the boundaries will still be displayed pending official announcements from the companies on whether they are permanently leaving those markets.

Taxi counts

The taxi counts are based on occupational data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, current as of May 2014 (Occupational Employment and Wages,: 53-3041 Taxi Drivers and Chauffeurs), and reflect the count for the Metropolitan Statistical Area in which a city is located. The data only account for drivers classified as employees, not independent contractors.

Transit Stops

Bus and rail stop locations, as well as underlying frequency and access data, draw from the Center for Neighborhood Technology’s All Transit database, which is based on General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data provided by individual agencies as of summer 2015. In cities that do not make full GTFS data available, routes and stops have been assembled as accurately as possible from other GIS resources covering the area.

Shared Mobility Opportunity Analysis

The opportunity analysis presents the output of a model that categorizes areas in terms of their current potential for supporting new or expanded shared mobility, based on a number of underlying factors including land use, walkability, quality of nearby transit service, jobs, and local household characteristics. The opportunities are categorized into three categories: High, Medium, and First/Last Mile Connections. For a full description of the model underlying this analysis please see the opportunity analysis methodology (pdf).

Demographic Data

Demographic variables use block group-level data from the most recent US Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates. Variables used in the market report include Total Population, Households, Household Vehicles, Housing Tenure, Median Income, Race/National Origin, Journey to Work Commute Patterns, and Educational Attainment.

Employment Data

Two sources of employment data are used:

Housing and Other Transportation Data

Publicly available data from various sources were also used, including:

  • Data on housing and transportation costs and modeled VMT also draw from HUD’s Location Affordability Index, using the model’s Household Type 1—a four-member, two-commuter household making the region’s median income.
  • Geographic areas and area-based calculations, such as Population and Household Density, Block Size, Block Density, and other variable counts per acre or square mile, use Census-provided areas from the most recent ACS 5-year estimates.
  • Electric Vehicle Charging Stations: Alternate Fuels Data Center.
  • Low Income Housing Tax Credit Housing (LIHTC) Sites: HUD LIHTC database.
  • WalkScore data query the WalkScore API for the center point of the drawn area.

SUMC makes every effort to assure that the data are updated frequently. However, this is a dynamic industry that changes often, with operators rapidly changing their market footing and areas of operation. If you notice discrepancies in what is mapped for a city, please email [email protected].