Personalised BBC Travel XML Feeds
OK, so I’ve updated my little experiment so that you can now request personalised travel XML data, which is taken and filtered from the original huge BBC travel XML feed.
The root URL for the feed is:
http://feeds.boxuk.com/bbctravel/xmlfeed/
You can use the following parameters to personalise the data:
- road (either a road number or name)
- place (this one’s a bit odd at the moment due to the original data, some cities work, some counties work)
- severity (either very severe, severe, medium or slight)
Multiple values can be separated with commas, and the parameters can be specified in any order. Example feeds are:
- http://feeds.boxuk.com/bbctravel/xmlfeed/road/A4
- http://feeds.boxuk.com/bbctravel/xmlfeed/place/bristol,newport
- http://feeds.boxuk.com/bbctravel/xmlfeed/road/m4/place/cardiff/severity/slight
I’m hoping to add in some longitude/latitude parameters soon, so that you can request a feed for just a particular geographic area.
If you have any ideas or comments, please add them to this post!
*** Dan
PS This is just a hack for the time being, with little in the way of caching or robustness… Please do not rely on these feeds!
UPDATE: Just added a little dynamic ‘summary’ page too from the live/historic data too, which I’ll try to add some more graphs to…
Add comment May 14, 2008
Using the BBC Feeds: Whetting the Appetite
I spent a few hours yesterday setting up a script that periodically grabs the BBC Road Travel XML data, parses it into a database, then grabs the current weather conditions for any new incidents (for the local area), and stores that alongside each incident. Hopefully in a week-or-two there’ll be enough data to produce some interesting graphs, such as number of incidents vs. weather conditions, or number of incidents vs. time of day.
In the meantime, just out of interest, I’ve quickly grabbed the BBC 7 Day Listings data, and grep’ed it for some different genres of output that the BBC is pushing to its audience in the next week. As a committed atheist with a scientific background, it’s a bit dis-heartening to see this kind of balance of output from the BBC:
With about half of British people now having no religious beliefs, and I expect a slightly higher percentage having some belief in Science, I wonder how long this situation can last before the public demands a more even balance.
*** Dan
Add comment May 14, 2008
Mashed and Meet-Ups… and it’s all FREE!
A slight deviation on the Innovation Labs theme I know, but it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for, yes that’s right, we’ve got details of the next Cardiff Web Scene Meet-Up!
The next event is scheduled for Wednesday June 4th at 10 Feet Tall in Cardiff. 10 Feet Tall can be found on Church Street, not too far from the Hayes, and we’re going to be on the top floor.
We’re going to kick things off at 6:30 pm. It’s free entry and we’re still looking for a couple of people to volunteer to talk about interesting things, so please get in touch if you’d like to be one of our speakers.
On top of the usual format, the night will round off with live music from Ridinghood and Suitcase. Entry to see the bands would usually be £3 per person but if you come along to the Meet-Up then you can stay on and watch the bands for free!
As if this weren’t exciting enough… in my last post I mentioned about the BBC Mashed event at Alexandra Palace on 21 June. We’re putting together a bus for anyone who wants to attend, so if there is anyone in the South Wales area who is interested in going to this, let us know and we’ll provide your transport free of charge (courtesy of the BBC). You can find out more information about the event through the Facebook group and we’ll also be talking about it at the next meet-up so if you’ve got any questions feel free to come and speak to Dan or myself.
We look forward to seeing you at 10 Feet Tall on Wednesday 4 June.
*** Claire
Add comment May 12, 2008
Michael Fish knows why you were late…
Claire and I are keen to use the large and varied data sources of the BBC to provide unique, beneficial services to the end-user. One way we think we can do this is by combining and comparing (‘mashing up’) the multiple sources, where relevant, to produce extra insight.
One of the avenues we’re keen to explore is how travel and weather data can be combined: how weather can affect travel/driving conditions, and therefore how a weather forecast could predict potential problems.
An obvious example of this is extreme weather: snow, heavy rain and high winds will have a noticable impact on driving conditions. But, given the beautiful conditions recently, I’ve also been wondering how sun may also be potentially included on this list of conditions that could cause problems.
As a very quick (and un-scientific) test, I’ve been checking the BBC’s road alerts XML feed this afternoon (for about the last hour, since 3pm). Specifically, I’ve been looking for the number of incidents that are ‘westbound’ (facing the setting sun) rather than ‘eastbound’. There’s little statistical significance, but the number of westbound incidents have been consistently 10-15% higher.
I’d like to take this experiment a little further. If I have time, I’ll set up some scripts next week that pull-in and record the BBC’s weather and travel feeds, and log the data to a simple database. At the end of the week, I’ll then be able to compare and contrast various types of road incidents against the weather conditions at the time (be it rain, sun, or something else), and the time of day. Hopefully it should make for interesting analysis, and if it proves slightly significant, could be something we consider using at a more regional level as part of our work with the BBC.
*** Dan
PS For those of you tuning in to find out about the next Cardiff Web Scene meet-up, we’re finalising a venue, and should have more information early next week! Stay tuned…
Add comment May 9, 2008
Life beyond the Labs
So we’re back in the office following our successful week at the labs and are looking forward to our first formal meeting with the BBC.
We’re really excited that we’re getting to work with the BBC, especially as we’ve got a chance to get involved with Mashed which is a really cool innovation day that the BBC are running at Alexandra Palace on 21 June. We think that events like Mashed are a really great way to not only do cool stuff but also to meet other people within the web industry.
Last week was incredibly hard, but was made slightly easier by knowing some of the other companies there and at a time when social networking sites such as Facebook and Linked-In are more popular than ever, let’s make the effort to properly network, not just though our computers!
I know this is easier said than done, having worked in the design industry for eight years I was impressed by the number and range of local events that were held for designers and marketers, there is the Bi-lingual Design Awards, Cardiff Design Festival, regional CIM meet-ups to name a few… but since I moved into the web, local events are few and far between, and recognition for Welsh companies working in the web is virtually non-existent. When was the last time somebody gave an award for the best code, best management of a project or best user journey? Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that designers get the recognition that they deserve, but how about a nod in the direction of those who are involved behind the scenes as well?
Now that that section of the rant is over I’m going to end on a positive note. So that we can do our bit for people who are involved in the web in South Wales, we have just organised the next Cardiff Web-Scene Meet-up for the evening of Wednesday June 4. For those that haven’t been before it’s a very casual get together, not just for developers, but for anyone who is involved or has an interest in the web.
For the last meet-up we changed the format slightly and had a couple of 5 minute speakers (these were Mark Boulton who talked about Typography and Dan Zambonini – Box UK’s Technical Director as well as being my fellow lab rat and blog writer who talked about 19 interesting things that he’d discovered recently). This seemed to go down quite well so we’d like to do the same again and we’re looking for volunteers! If you’ve got something interesting that you’d like to talk about, please get in touch.
The venue is to be confirmed, but you can join the Facebook group to stay up to date or look out for the next blog post, but keep the date free and hopefully we’ll see you on Wednesday June 4.
*** Claire
Add comment May 7, 2008
BBC Labs Day 5 – Pitch Day and Tips
So I’ve just got back home from the week-long labs… We’re both mentally worn; can hardly think, but are very pleased with the commission result!
We worked some long days this week (in excess of 18 hours sometimes), so can’t really make much sense at the moment, but I thought I’d jot down some tips for future labs-attendees (if it runs again), while I can think of them. Then, I’ll leave you with some photos…
Some Tips:
- Your idea WILL almost certainly change, possibly completely. Be prepared.
- Don’t expect to have any spare time during the week; it’s work, work, work. This includes the evenings.
- The ‘big’ ideas are the toughest to get through; remember that the BBC will initially only release a small amount of budget for the idea, so think about phasing or prototyping if your idea is big.
- Be prepared to iteratively pitch over the week.
- Be prepared for much criticism, and constantly finding problems. It’s psychologically grueling.
- React to the criticism, by changing your idea/pitch. It’s mostly accurate.
- If a commissioner even slightly hesitates about something, it’s probably worth changing! At the end of the day, it’s your commissioner who you need to feel comfortable with the project.
- Remember the BBC have some particular bug-bears which can SERIOUSLY affect the viability or direction of your project. Consider, with A LOT of thought:
- Copyright Issues: The BBC don’t fully own the rights to much of their content…
- Licensing: If you’re working with web-data – and probably other data too – remember that it may have been provided to the BBC under licensing conditions which may prevent your idea from happening.
- Commercial Impact – If you’re idea is similar to something that already exists in the private marketplace, or is likely to impact the revenue of an existing private marketplace, it’s very difficult for the BBC to proceed
Add comment May 2, 2008
BBC Labs Day 4 – Onwards and upwards
As the sun sets over the sleepy hills of Powys and day four of the Wales and West Midlands BBC Innovation Labs 2008 draws to a close, you’d be forgiven for thinking that there was peace and tranquility at the Lake Country House in Llanmmarch Wells… but you would be wrong. Listen a little bit closer and you will hear the rumbling of keyboards and the almost inaudible buzz of stress, frustration and yes, mild panic… that right folks, it’s pitch day tomorrow.
As luck (or fate) would have it, we are pitching first tomorrow morning and despite the minor curve ball thrown our way yesterday, which resulted in us ripping up our original idea and starting almost from scratch at 11am this morning, we think we’ve done OK. But there’s nothing like adrenaline to help you pack two months work and preparation into 22 hours!
Today mainly saw us left alone to push on with our pitches and the Box UK corner was a hive of activity (well almost) as we worked on our new idea, but has it been enough…?
I suspect the real reason for putting us in such a remote location is not that the distant bleating of lambs and twittering of birds will calm your nerves, but probably more to the fact that no-one can hear you scream. Despite all of our research, one thing that didn’t expect is the lack of spare time you have once you’re here. Every day this week we have worked from 9am through to 7pm and then had homework. It would be fair to say it has been a bit of a slog, but we have met some great people and learnt a lot in a short space of time.
So all that leaves me to say, before I *attempt* to get some sleep, is thanks to the BBC for a fun, challenging week and good luck to all the great teams that have worked so hard over the last couple of days.
I hope you’ll join me tomorrow for the next exciting installment…
*** Claire
Add comment May 1, 2008
BBC Labs Days 2 & 3 – Users, the BBC and a mind reading bat called Plasma…
It’s nice to be on Welsh turf and as with many Welsh web related gatherings there are some familiar faces. The guys from Cube are here with their idea for following news stories, and are also blogging their experience and Peter Gill & Associates are here trying to bring ‘new music to the masses’.
Day two was spent focusing on the users, we worked on personas, their experience of using our service and how it effects and works with their day-to-day life.
Working with a mentor and another team (we had the help of Matt Cashmore who is organising the labs and CMS Video with their ‘Play Music’ project) this exercise gave us a real insight into what the user needs and stands to benefit from signing up to our service. However it also gave us a couple of things to think about and demonstrated that we still have a bit of work to do before Friday.
We also found out yesterday why the BBC warned us about our idea being pulled apart. I think two days of ‘constructive critisism’ started to take its toll on a couple of the teams (ourselves included!) but we’ve been assured that by Friday we’ll be glad that it happened and will see the benefits…
Day 3
Day three of the labs, the sun is shining in Llangammarch Wells and it’s commissioner day. This morning we split off into our teams to go to and do a bit of fine tuning before we get a half hour with the commissioners this afternoon. The attitude today is slightly more positive and I think that some of the teams are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel!
As for us, our idea is growing…
We’re also learning a little bit more about our mentors, Frank Boyd (who has been great) did a magic act involving a mind reading vampire bat called Plasma once upon a time, who I’m hoping will make an appearance later today as I’m sure mind reading skills could be quite useful for the rest of the week!
*** Claire
Add comment April 30, 2008
BBC Labs Day 1 – No Rest for the Wicked
Before I got to the labs, I always wondered why more of the participants didn’t blog the experience (or lifestream it, etc). Now that I’m here – bloody hell – I can see why. They work you hard. It’s currently the middle of the second day, and I’ve just wolfed down my lunch in record time so that I can have 20 minutes to write this before it all starts again. So excuse me if it’s a little brief; I had planned on writing up lots of the interesting things we’re being asked to do in great detail, and include some of the diagrams, but it’s going to have to be more of a high-level overview.
After an early morning and long drive, we all arrived at the hotel, ready for the day. We all gathered in a circle in a room (which is the main room for the week, though we do often break-out into separate groups), and Frank (one of the oragnisers/mentors) talked us through the creative process. The first-half of the week is about ‘yes, and’, where we expand on our idea. The second half then becomes ‘yes, but’, where we focus it back down to the important parts, ready for the final pitch to the commissioners on Friday (they arrive on Wednesday). We’ll be expected to be able to pitch our idea through four stories: Users, BBC, Technology and the Product/Service itself. Having said that, it was made very clear that the week isn’t really about winning a commission – that’s like “icing on the cake”. This is a chance to build-up a relationship with the BBC, which can then lead on to a future working relationship, Friday-commission-or-not.
The morning was mostly about getting to know each other in the room (and the projects), through about 4 different games. These included introducing the person next to you (after you’d been given a chance to chat to them), some kind of ‘yes, and’ drama-like story making, some throwing of BBC mints tins (I won’t go into it), and standing in a line, with our eyes closed. Yes, it sounds bizarre…and actually, was a bit.
We then moved onto the ideas themselves, and were introduced to the ‘N-A-B-C’ method (Need, Approach, Benefits, Competition) of analysing them.
Lunch was huge. HUGE.
We returned after lunch to find a dog in the room.
Anyway, we were then split into groups, where we had to explain our idea to three other people, who then had to pitch the idea for us, back to the main group. This was made a bit more interesting through Edward De Bono’s ’6 hat thinking’ technique, where two of the people who were pitching the idea would each wear a different ‘hat’ – a ‘black’ hat who was critical/negative, and a ‘yellow’ hat who was optimistic/positive. The third person would introduce the idea, with neutrality.
I got to be the black hat for Andy (from Wyndham-Leigh), which is a shame – even though I am normally a particularly critical person, and I like to be negative (!), I actually really like his Backyard Olympics idea, and hope it gets a commission (even though I do have a slight conflict of interest with Smynx, a social networking site we’re about to launch…).
We managed to finish around 6:25pm, but were then given homework to develop at least 2 personas, including their services, content, devices, places they hang out, their motivations, how they spend their time, and their attitude towards the BBC. So we managed to squeeze some of that in before and after dinner (at 8pm – again, HUGE), and then I flaked out about 10pm.
A lonnnnnng day, but really good – we uncovered (through the exercises) a couple of new flaws in our idea (which we should be able to tackle), and know a bit more about which of the ‘problems’ we’d already thought about are the ‘big’ ones, from the BBC’s perspective.
Add comment April 29, 2008
Here’s to a future filled with ample parking spaces and better mobile phone apps…
I would like to take this opportunity to talk about Dan’s favourite subjects of journeys and serendipity. I found myself in Newport last night, not the most exotic of locations but I was there for a gig (the awesome Kooks to be precise). The doors opened at 7pm so leaving Cardiff at 5:45 I thought I’d have plenty of time to get myself in before the first support act came on.
For a change I was organised, before leaving the house I checked driving directions, traffic reports and parking facilities. Making good progress in rush hour traffic I found myself in Newport by 6:30, however what Google maps hasn’t told me is that half of the roads that I need to use are closed due to road works! Mild panic sets in but it’s OK because I’ve got half an hour until doors open and my trusty Cardiff and Newport road map which I never leave the house without, is at hand.
6:45pm – Making my way around the back streets and one-way systems of Newport, I decide to drop my boyfriend off at the venue so we at least get a decent place in the line, you see I can see the venue, but due to a couple of core road closures I can’t figure out how to get there, but it’s OK, I spot a tour bus with the support band still in it so I still feel positive I can still get there in time…
7:00pm – Doors are open and I have finally found my way to the venue, where the website tells me I can park for 50p… bargain! So I pull up, only to find the car park is closed as they are resurfacing it! But it’s OK, there’s a car park down the road so I set off back through the maze of back roads…
7:25pm – Five car parks later (all of which were full or closed) and I pull over (in a rather flustered state) to take a call from my boyfriend who is wondering where I am, I can hear music in the background and I’m cursing the promptness of sober bands, if I were going to see Amy Winehouse I’d be guaranteed that the gig would be delayed by at least an hour!
7:35pm – I finally find a free, legal parking space outside a chip shop and spend ten minutes stuffing anything that might resemble anything valuable into the boot… iPod, bag, empty McDonalds wrappers (well you can never be too careful). I then realise that having been driving in very odd circles for the best part of an hour that I actually have no idea where I am in relation to the venue, so I spend another ten minutes running around Newport feeling a bit like an unfit Anneka Rice in an episode of Treasure Hunt. Finally getting to the gig at about 8:00!
11:00pm – Upon leaving the gig I realise that I have absolutely no idea where the car is and spend another half an hour wandering around the streets of Newport looking for familiar chip shops…
As the only piece of technology that I carried around with me the whole night was my mobile phone I find myself thinking how much easier my journey would have been had my phone been able to tell me where the nearest car park was that had spaces, what roads were closed and alternative routes and used GPS to show my location (and indeed the location of my car). When I got to the venue it could tell me where my boyfriend was and if anyone else that was in my phone book was also at the gig, it could have warned me that it was going to be raining when the gig finished or the crime levels of the area that I’d parked in…
So, with the labs starting on Monday, I’m hoping for a relatively uneventful journey, with plenty of free parking spaces and hopefully a successful week!
*** Claire
Add comment April 25, 2008
