Survey open now: Help guide improvements to RTAMS, RTA’s mapping and statistics website

September 9, 2024

The RTA is seeking feedback from users of RTAMS, the agency’s mapping and statistics website, to better understand who uses it and how it can be improved in the future. Take the survey now through October 21 to weigh in; it will take about 5 minutes to complete.

The last time a survey was conducted on RTAMS was in 2016, when a visioning survey provided direction on a full redevelopment and relaunch of the website in 2020. As part of that redevelopment, new content was added, improved reporting of projects and studies was deployed, a more stable hosting environment was implemented, downloadable data sets were incorporated, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compatibility was addressed, and search and filter options were improved.

Now, RTA’s data team is asking users how that relaunched site is working for them and what potential improvements should still be made.

RTAMS offers a collection of tools for accessing extensive data resources about the six-county metropolitan Chicago region’s transit system. Developed and maintained by the RTA, this web-based system includes these primary sections:

• Data Transparency Portal has information related to transit expenditures, contracts, and employees.

• Digital Document Library has recent and archival publications relevant to transit.

• Ridership Statistics has data on transit usage patterns, searchable by different views including Service Board, bus routes, train lines, stations, and more.

• Routes, Stations and Lines has information on CTA, Metra, and Pace assets and services.

• Search and Download Data has extensive source data (CSV, PDF, and shapefiles) on which the rest of RTAMS is based.

• Transit Projects and Studies provides data regarding historic transit projects and those currently underway including details about the five-year regional Capital Program, the RTA’s Project Management Oversight program, and planning studies funded by RTA.

• Mapping & GIS Portal includes several interactive maps for the RTA region including transit-oriented developments, land use, signage, signal priority, transit access, population and employment projections, demographics, legislative districts, and city wards.

RTAMS has a rich history reaching back nearly 20 years. The site began as an internal pilot project to manage datasets. Each year since its launch, the system has seen incremental improvements that add new content, enhance usability, and increase functionality. According to Google Analytics, RTAMS sees approximately 40,000 users annually who perform about 225,000 pageviews.

Subscribe to the RTAMS quarterly newsletter to stay abreast of the latest data updates and site enhancements.