National Public Transport Access Nodes (NaPTAN)
Standards for exchanging information alone will not ensure consistency of information. Therefore, Transport Direct has been leading work to see the creation of the NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes) database - covering bus, coach and tram stops, bus and train stations, taxi and shared taxi ranks and ferry and air terminals. Each location has been grid-referenced, as well as being referenced to relevant streets, cross-streets and landmarks. Now that the database is substantially complete, attention is turning to improving aspects of its quality. European standardisation of location information is now being taken forward in a further project - Identification of Fixed Objects in Public Transport (IFOPT) - which delivered a draft standard in Autumn 2006, and this will be voted on in 2007. This work is also linked to a proposed International Standard for a Standard Numbering Scheme for Public Transport Stops (SNSPTS).
Govtalk: www.govtalk.gov.uk/schemasstandards/schemalibrary_schema.asp?schemaid=246
