Staff Report #5
October 31, 2018
To All Commissioners
Re: 2018 Work Program – Information Technology – Third Quarter Update
Recommendation
That the report be NOTED and FILED.
Background
The following report is provided as an update on major Information Technology projects as set out in the 2018 Work Program that are ongoing in nature and/or were scheduled to commence and/or be completed over the first nine months of 2018, with the lead on same being the primary responsibility of the Information Services department.
Smart Card Implementation
Extensive testing of web payment processes including the purchase and automatic top-up of stored value has recently been completed. The results have been good and the roll-out of stored value on smart cards can now be planned. This step is complex and involves the participation of partners having specific requirements that may have an impact on the timeline of required phases. A detailed roll-out plan is currently being developed and will be tabled at the November meeting.
Google Transit Real-time Data Feed
After a lengthy iterative process between the AVL vendor and LTC the Google real-time data feed has been refined to the point that it is ready to go live. Part of the delay was caused by a bug in the vendor software that was difficult to find, but has been successfully corrected. LTC has requested that Google make the data feed live and at time of report writing has not yet received a response. In the meantime LTC departments are testing Google maps in an attempt to further refine what is presented to the customer. As soon as the feed is live, corporate communications will be utilized to share the information.
Hardware/Software Updates
The following initiatives remain underway as part of on-going work with respect to annual hardware/software upgrades:
- Core switch replacements (PTIF)
- Replacement of legacy (no longer supported) Cisco network hardware (switches) that provide the foundational network infrastructure at the 450 Highbury location. All network traffic passes through these core switches. Upgrades will provide for increased network capacity and overall network speed.
- Firewall/Web Filter Upgrades
- Replacement of main firewall at 450 Highbury will provide increased protection from hackers and Internet threats and enhanced URL filtering capabilities.
- Transfer of Highbury office to higher bandwidth Internet connection
- LTC has been using a newer and faster 150Mbps Internet connection to host the new website and InfoWeb systems available to the public. LTC office users, however, are using an older and slower 20Mbps connection to access the Internet. In addition, tablets in the paratransit vehicles and some other mobile systems are still using this older connection to communicate with LTC servers. Transitioning all of these to the newer connection is a complex process; when complete LTC will retire (and stop paying for) the older 20Mbps connection.
- Installation of new Telephone System (PTIF)
- Replacement of LTCs internal phone systems with new hardware will increase stability and reliability of the very old system currently in place. While LTC has sourced a new system at a very low cost, installation is more the responsibility of Information Services than with previous systems. The new systems are highly flexible and configurable and will provide a better experience for both internal and external users.
Open Data
A draft open data policy and terms of use documentation are currently under internal review. Using the City of London’s approach to open data as a template, LTC plans to publish similar Terms of Use and a listing of available data files.
Meetings are underway to determine what information will be most readily available and easy to start with, with due consideration being given to the resources required to keep data accurate and up-to-date. It is expected that the results of this work will be available on the LTC website by the end of November.
Recommended by:
Patrick Cormier, Manager of Information Services
Concurred in by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager