As of 11am this morning, buses in Brooklyn are telling the internet where they are.  And I’m proud to say that our work is behind it.

For the past several months, we’ve been working with the MTA on this one-line pilot, to demonstrate that it’s possible to achieve a workable bus tracking solution using existing hardware (in this case, farebox computers that will be rolled out citywide soon + GPS device + cell modem) and open source software (in this case, the excellent OneBusAway).  The hope is that this approach can work city-wide, and for a fraction of the cost of other approaches.

There is lots of good coverage out there in the blogosphere, particularly over at Second Avenue Sagas, which did an in-depth look prior to the launch, as well as a follow up post-launch.  You can also read our official reaction to the launch on the OpenPlans blog.

On a side note, in anticipation of some amount of attention related to the MTA launch, we also put up a new OpenPlans Transportation website today, showcasing our services and projects in the transportation space.  It’s nice to finally see the business that we’ve been building for the past year take a bit more shape.

I really love this photo — it is a huge honor to have something we worked on (in this case, the screen shot of the map behind the mobile phone) featured on an honest-to-god MTA transit ad.  That is super geeky, I know, but as a lifelong New Yorker and transit rider, it’s pretty cool.

Now, as Jeff Maki, our project manager for the MTA project, said on his way out of the office today: time to go to bed and dream about buses moving on a map…

// photo: Ben Kabak on Flickr

Earlier this year, my friend and former colleague Thor Snilsberg started a new nonprofit organization called CityScience to improve the quality and relevance of science education for urban students.  In their words:

CityScience is committed to raising the quality of science education and supporting environmental stewardship. By using the natural and built environments of cities as laboratories for active learning, we transform teaching to make science relevant and engaging for PreK-12 students.

Thor has been working hard all year getting CityScience off the ground, and I’m excited to see it start to gain traction.  I’m writing about it today because I just got a really great update & fundraising email from Thor on behalf of CityScience which inspired me to make a donation.  That email is the real subject of this post — I was really blown away by its clarity and sincerity — as an introduction to the organization and an invitation to become a supporter, I think it’s hard to beat.  Really nice work, Thor.

Pasted below is the email.  Read it, and then go make a donation to CityScience.

Dear Family and Friends,

Many of you know that 2010 has been an exciting year for me professionally.  As the founder and Executive Director of CityScience, I have enjoyed the challenges and complexities of starting a nonprofit to improve the quality of science education in urban school districts.  As important people in my life, I am writing to update you on CityScience’s progress and to seek your support.

Currently, the United States ranks 24th in international science scores; science is taught less than 3 hours a week in most schools.  Because these disparities are even greater in urban areas, CityScience strives to spark students’ interest in science while training teachers to make science more hands-on and connected to students’ lives.

As our mission suggests, cities are natural laboratories for learning and scientific literacy is a key underpinning of our economy and society.  To learn more about our unique programs, goals and approach I encourage you to visit www.cityscience.org.  Below is a list of CityScience’s 2010 milestones.  Based on the feedback on our work to date, 2011 will be an exciting year.

As family, close friends and existing supporters, I hope this note inspires you to make a tax-deductible donation to CityScience.  I look forward to visiting with you in the near future.

Best wishes,

Thor Snilsberg
_____________________________________________

2010 Milestones

Mission & Identity – As you read CityScience’s mission to the right, you will begin to see our hands-on approach to improving science education.  In developing our logo, we wanted to emphasize how thinking, problem solving and action are life skills learned through scientific inquiry.

Recent Programming – In our first major partnership, CityScience provided curriculum for a youth program in the newest National Park.  Seeing students develop a passion for geology, forestry, aquatic ecology and architecture was the highlight of the year for me.  Our work was recognized by National Parks Service, as being the most “deliberate use of curriculum they have seen,” earning us an invitation to present our approach to their educators.

501(c)(3) Incorporation– Thanks to the generosity of two attorneys at the law firm of Skadden Arps, CityScience earned its official nonprofit status June 19th.  I have been busy writing grant proposals and introducing the organization to foundations interested in supporting science education, project-based learning and the environment.

Board of Directors– Building a board that understands the importance and promise of science education is especially important to me.  CityScience is fortunate to have eight board members that all have advanced degrees in science, education, or urban planning.  Their expertise and commitment has been essential to helping me tackle countless start-up tasks.

In-kind Donations, Corporate Support & Fundraising– The in-kind support of Consider-it-Done Accounting, Durst Organization, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, and All Star Moving and Storage have defrayed major overhead costs at key points.  Our first corporate sponsor, Carpet Cycle, is not only the region’s premier carpet recycler, the founder and CEO has become a great friend and mentor.  And while I have a lot to learn about fundraising, the list of individual supporters continues to grow.  Every donation is like a vote of confidence that brightens my day.

Office & Employees– CityScience moved into its first office in October.  We are walking distance from Grand Central Station, and I hope all of you have a chance to visit us soon.  Our expert instructors and teacher coaches deliver top notch programs and I look forward to continuing to develop our staff and pool of talented contractors.

Curriculum & Science Equipment – The curriculum CityScience inherited from the Center for the Urban Environment (CUE) includes fifty subjects and well over two-hundred lesson plans that get students outside to learn science.  Developed and time tested for thirty years in New York’s schools, parks and after-school programs, these programs made CUE the largest environmental educator in the five boroughs before it closed in 2009.  While it was a capital project that sank CUE, the programs are exemplar and it is an honor to be chosen to carry them on.

In her bathroom, a friend of mine has some really beautiful illustrations of posts from the Craigslist Missed Connections section.  If you’ve never looked at missed connections, you should — there are some really wonderful notes in there (also some sketchy ones).  Here’s a beautiful one from today:

7 train glances on monday – w4m – 20 (7 train Queensbound)

We were sitting opposite each other on the train. We caught eyes early in the ride, but you nodded off through most of it, but looked up as I was getting off. As the train moved you kept looking at me walking to the stairs.

All I want to tell you is that you have the most beautiful clear blue grey eyes.

What’s striking is how many of the missed connections take place in the subway.  I’ve said before that transit is a uniter not a divider; these posts confirm that, and are a really nice view into that slice of NYC life.

The “ad hoc groupings” that take place on the subway also really resonate with the ideas in Dave Weinberger’s Small Pieces Loosely Joined, which I’m reading right now.  Dave talks about how on the web, groups take on a new meaning — they form and unform quickly, and can be formed by very loose connections (such as commenters on a blog post).  The city is the same way — the people I’m standing with on the subway are an ad-hoc group that unforms just as fast as it forms.  But there’s definitely a connection. Typically, it takes an event of some kind, like a man talking into a banana phone or two people having a loud argument, to draw more outward communications among riders.  But underneath it all, there’s a hidden set of communications going on, and it’s really beautiful to see it unearthed through Missed Connections.

It turns out the posters are by a Brooklyn-based artist named Sophie Blackall, who has a whole poster series + a blog on Missed Connections.  Really nice.

It’s really amazing how walking down the street with a funny hat on puts smiles on people’s faces.  Today, I’m going to pretend I’m not wearing a viking hat.  I only wish I had bought the hat before I got on the subway this morning.  Happy Halloween!

In doing some photo hunting for a side project, I came across this gem of a photo on Flickr.

Riding the subway all over the city, I often think about the fact that most great subway moments (and many great city moments, for that matter) go unrecorded. Perhaps this is part of the beauty of it — there are only participants; no watchers — but I often wish I had a camera built into my eyes to catch the great little moments that happen almost every day.

Musicians on the train are a real special treat; I love the fact that for just a few minutes, perhaps just the distance between two stops, a little concert takes place.  For that short period of time, riders goes from being disconnected strangers to inadvertent partners, with feet tapping and heads nodding.

This photo has an almost Rockwell-esque quality to it, and you’ve gotta love the angry glare from the woman in the corner.