1. Public Transport Data from ATCO.CIF files
See the specification at
Tabular format in database is broken down
into separate records for each individual trip

2. Basic Records QS - Journey Header (one) QO - Origin Record (one)
QI - Intermediate Record (many)
QT - Destination Record (one)

3. QSNG+++++++++20050606209912311111100++480+++++++BUS+++++++++++++1
QS - Journey Header (1)
(S for service)
QSNG BUS
What is shown here as a + is a <space> in the real file!
G+++ Operator Code
Unique Identifier
Start Date
End Date
Days of Operation [Mon- Sun]
+ School Term Time (S/H/blank)

4. QSNG+++++++++20050606209912311111100++480+++++++BUS+++++++++++++1
QS - Journey Header (2)
(S for service)
QSNG BUS
What is shown here as a + is a <space> in the real file!
+ Bank Holidays (A/B/X/blank)
480+ Service Number
Running Board
BUS+++++ Vehicle Type
Registration Number
1 Route Direction

5. QO & QT - Stop Records (O for origin, T for terminating)
QO4200F T1++
QT T1++
What is shown here as a + is a <space> in the real file!
4200F NaPTAN Stop Code
Time
+++ Bay Number
T1 Timing Point indicator
++ Fare Stage Indicator

6. What is shown here as a + is a <space> in the real file!
QI - Stop Records
(I for intermediate)
QI SCH B+++T1++
What is shown here as a + is a <space> in the real file!
SCH NaPTAN Stop Code
Arrival Time
Departure Time
B Activity Flag (B/P/S)
+++ Bay Number
T1 Timing Point indicator
++ Fare Stage Indicator

7. Simple Journey QSNG 20050606209912311111100 480 BUS 1
QO4200F T1
QI4200F B T0
QI4200F B T0
QI4200F B T1
QI4200F B T0
QI4200F B T1
QI OUT B T0
QI OPP B T0 .
QI OPP B T0
QI CNR B T0
QI OPP B T0
QI PO B T0
QT T1

8. Additional Records (1) QN - Journey Note OCC++ Note Code
QNOCC++Financially supported by the Local Authority
What is shown here as a + is a <space> in the real file!
OCC++ Note Code
(everything else) Note Text
BUT remember the SPAM filter

9. Spam Filter (1) Source data may have multiple uses
Aim to remove irrelevance & reduce clutter on journey planner & timetables
QN record descriptions filtered on text strings
Words such as “financial”, “continues” and “rover”
List can be seen on DMS (

10. Spam Filter (2)

11. QE - Journey Running Date (Exceptions)
Additional Records (2)
QE - Journey Running Date (Exceptions) QE
Start of Exceptional Period
End of Exceptional Period
0 Operation Code
0 = does NOT run
1 = DOES run

12. Other Records QR - Bus Journey Repetition QP - Bus Operator
QD - Route Description
QV - Vehicle Type
QH - Bank Holiday
QL QA QB QC QG QJ QW - Location

13. Full Journey
QSNG BUS QE QE QE QE
QNOCC Financially supported by the Local Authority
QO4200F T1
QI4200F B T0
QI4200F B T0
QI4200F B T1
QI4200F B T0
QI4200F B T1
QI OUT B T0 .
QI OPP B T0
QI CNR B T0
QI OPP B T0
QI PO B T0
QT T1

14. Weekly Data Process (1) Latest NPTG Latest NaPTAN
Operator Data / Suppression / Composites / Route Descriptions etc (from Service Table)
(External) Holiday Tables
Local Authority CIFs
The ‘glue’
“Build” contains Subnets – EM, EA, SE, London, National Rail & Coach (+ Hampshire & Bedfordshire/Thurrock)

15. Service Table (1) Adjudicates on duplicated (x-boundary) services
Can suppress mistakenly retained services too
Specifies a fixed route description
Specifies mode (bus, coach, ferry)
Specifies DDA information (low floor, wheelchair)
Generates unique service ID (persistence)
Creates composite timetables (multiple services and/or operators on one timetable)

16. Service Table (2)

17. Holiday Tables (1)
Overlays normal operating patterns with “standard” holiday patterns without the need to amend database
(“Special” timetables DO need to be keyed into database)
Default pattern
Update regularly, not “one hit”
Holiday Tables (and Service Table) available on DMS

18. Holiday Tables (2)

19. Holiday Tables (3)

20. Weekly Data Process (2) Create JP Data Create TT data
Precompilation of TTs
Build put on test server
“Protocols” put on DMS (Message Lists)
Testing
Release to live servers

21. “Protocols” - What can go wrong?
Data improbabilities
Descending Trip Times (error 1)
Stop not recognised (error 3)
Speed too high (error 40)
Speed exceptionally high (error 43)
Direction Flags (warning 1018)
No trip times (warning 1021)
Unclear note (warning 1023)
Speed too low (warning 1025)

22. Speed Exceptionally High
Economies of Scale?
Error 1
Descending
Trip Times
Error 3
Stop not recognised
Error 40
Speed
Too High
Error 43
Speed Exceptionally High
errors
services
stops
Square 16 5 78 37 30 45 18 23 3
Bucks 14 6 2
Essex 61 4 40 25 26 27 12
Oxon 8
196 31 39

23. Data Management System (DMS) on server 69
Check weekly
Late Wednesday/early Thursday
narrow window of opportunity before next CIF is created
Finding “needles in a haystack”

24. (Error 1) Descending Trip Times
Impossible
Treated as continuing next day
Jumps forward 23hrs 55mins rather than back 5 mins
JP trips travelling only BEFORE the error
Okay
JP trips travelling ACROSS the error
Too Slow to be offered
JP trips travelling only AFTER the error
Wrong day!
HINT! - Look for ‘out of position’ asterisk on PDF t/t

25. (Error 3) Stop not Recognised
Non-NaPTAN 12 digit reference
Stops “thrown away”
Legacy Issue?
Mistyped?
Deleted?
Out of Area?

26. (Errors 40/43) Speed Too High
Over 120 kph between stops
Covers more than 1.2 km in zero minutes
but not a ‘severe’ error
Error 43
Severe! >150 kph or >1.5 km in zero minutes
Prevention of “Wormholes”
Over 240kph/2.4km in zero minutes
Data thrown away
HINT – Try re-interpolating the service

27. (Warning 1025) Speed Too Low
“Warning” - Used to be an “error”
Under 10 kph between stops
Never “thrown away”
Recovery Time – so possibly cannot do anything about
Separate Arrive and Depart times?

28. Other sources of errors
Random checking
Less random if you know what has changed
Public complaints/comments
Call Centre feedback
Public Web feedback
View as Opportunities, not Problems

29. Our Advice Crack it now Keep on top of it Encourage feedback
Special effort now to get down to a very short list
Keep on top of it
Little to look at, but every week
Encourage feedback
DMS for data but there may be problems in the “glue”
If in doubt, ask!
Stuart and David are here to help (subject to availabilty!)

30. And finally…
Looking to the future, we will be migrating from CIF to TransXChange (TXC)
TXC is much more rigorous
XML allows validation
Harder to debug source, though, unless you have an XML debugger
But errors and warnings on DMS will be the same…

31. Any questions?