The Department of Transportation hosted a Twitter chat on Monday under the hashtag #OpenDOT to get opinions on the agency’s open data policies.

“Across the administration, agencies are working to update our biennial Open Government Plans, and we want to hear from you,” Bryna Helfer, director of Public Engagement, and Daniel Morgan, chief data officer for the DOT, wrote in a blog post.

The DOT is considering five initiatives to build onto its open data plans.

The DOT would create a calendar for public meetings, which would add new channels of communication between the public and the agency.

The agency would compile data to create a National Address Database, by collaborating with the United States Census Bureau in order to create an open register of locations for every address in the nation, and a National Transit Map, which will bring together machine readable open data from transit agencies across the United States.

The DOT is considering establishing a “no wrong door” complaint form for reporting disability access concerns to improve access to mobility. Also, the DOT would start Ladders of Opportunity projects to connect and revitalize communities.

Here are some takeaways from the Twitter chat:

One suggestion was that DOT should find a way to incorporate rural transit into its National Transit Map.

https://twitter.com/Jaimemckay1/status/770334913384030208

 

Another concern involved state transportation departments falling short on creating accessible mobility options for people with disabilities.

https://twitter.com/mwmd2016/status/770343204407435264

https://twitter.com/mwmd2016/status/770345038043811840

 

Twitter users discussed how the DOT can provide travelers with information relevant to them.

 

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