Populus and Seattle Unveil New Curb Management API for Connected Fleets
The Curb Data Specification (CDS) was designed to support city management of curb operators such as delivery companies and autonomous vehicles
San Francisco, Calif., September 7, 2023 — Today, Populus proudly announces the launch of the City of Seattle’s first Curb Data Specification (CDS) API in collaboration with the Seattle Department of Transportation. Designed to communicate parking and curb regulations to connected fleet operators for improved curbside efficiency and management, the CDS API reflects a new digital way of operating by cities to manage the future of mobility.
As demand on curbs continues to evolve, from goods delivery to scooters to autonomous vehicles, the tools that cities use to manage their curb space are evolving as well. The Curb Data Specification (CDS) was initially released in January 2022, as an open data standard through city and private sector collaboration through the Open Mobility Foundation. Populus, a leading technology provider for curb and mobility management, and the City of Seattle, were both foundational partners that developed the first release of this data standard in 2022.
Populus’ release of the Curb Data Specification API is a key component of the technical infrastructure the company delivers to empower cities to digitally communicate new parking and mobility policies to connected fleet vehicles. Over the past five years, the Populus platform has expanded to support data-sharing in over 100 cities around the world, with a prior focus on micromobility management. The Populus Curb Manager platform builds on this success, providing cities with new solutions to digitally inventory their curb regulations, publish them to curb users, and seamlessly collect revenue from connected fleets.
“Seattle and Populus’ release of the Curb Data Specification (CDS) API represents a crucial step toward our vision of a safer, more sustainable urban experience,” shared Brian Hamlin, Strategic Advisor, Curbside Management for the Seattle Department of Transportation. “Seattle has a strong desire to improve curb access for users. Creating a standardized digital curb inventory in CDS now allows Seattle to communicate our curb regulations to connected vehicles and devices while also positioning us to better meet the future needs of urban mobility.”
“The CDS standard is a two way street for cities and operators to communicate digitally,” shared Andrew Glass Hasting, Executive Director of the Open Mobility Foundation, “We are thrilled to see how quickly cities are adopting this new standard to manage public space for the public good.”
“We are proud to be a partner in supporting the digital transformation of the City of Seattle’s parking and curb regulation data to support more efficient curbside management,” said Regina Clewlow, CEO and Founder of Populus. “As the variety of use cases at curbs continues to expand, the need for tools to reduce conflicts, improve safety, and accelerate sustainability is as important as ever.”
About Populus
Populus is a platform for cities to manage and price connected fleets to deliver safer and more sustainable streets. Over 100 cities around the world rely on Populus to receive GPS data from connected vehicles, and are now leveraging our platform to create, manage, and collect payment for access to curbs to prioritize transitions to lower carbon transportation. Learn more at www.populus.ai.