A software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other. An API is a set of commands, functions, protocols, and objects that programmers can use to create software or interact with an external system. It provides developers with standard commands for performing common operations so they do not have to write the code [...]

Automatic Vehicle Location systems provide the GPS coordinates where a vehicle actually is.

The Bus Open Data Service, or BODS for short, is a Department for Transport led initiative to enable new applications, products and services for passengers. It emerged from the Bus Services Act 2017, which included improvements designed to make commercial bus services more accessible to passengers. The service launched in February 2020 with a small [...]

A software cache stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster; the data stored in a cache is the result of an earlier request for the same data which is then stored locally or somewhere along the network, such as a router or switch network device. The more requests that [...]

A content management system or CMS is a software that facilitates creating, editing, organizing, and publishing content. Drupal and WordPress are Content Management Systems, that allows you to create and publish content on the web.

The Domain Name System is the phonebook of the internet. Each device connected to the internet has a unique IP address which other machines use to find the device. DNS servers eliminate the need for us to memorise IP addresses such as 192. 168. 1. 1.

Electronic Ticketing Machine

General Bikeshare Feed Specification, known as GBFS, is the open data standard for bikeshare. GBFS makes real-time data feeds in a uniform format publicly available online, with an emphasis on findability. GBFS is intended to make information publicly available online. Under the North American Bikeshare Association’s leadership, GBFS has been developed by public, private sector and non-profit [...]

The General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) is a data specification that allows public transport operators to publish their transit data in a format that can be consumed by a wide variety of software applications. Today, the GTFS data format covers both static and real-time data and is used by thousands of public transport providers. You [...]

The HOPS is the central system which holds information about everyone’s smart cards. the HOPS automates many of the complex daily tasks of a smart transport ticketing scheme including transaction processing and asset management.

The numbers refer to the number of letters in the words because it’s easier to type and in the context of websites/apps. I18n covers translating and things like changing date formats, eg translating Cardiff buses into Welsh. I18n is making systems adaptable to different country and region locales.

Serial number encoded on a smart card but not known to a customer

The numbers refer to the number of letters in the words because it’s easier to type and in the context of websites/apps. L10n covers translating and things like changing date formats, eg translating Cardiff buses into Welsh. L10n is the process of adapting a system to a specific locale.

Serial number printed on the front of a smart card

The National Operator Code dataset (NOC) contains unique national operator codes that link to the local operator codes in the Traveline National Data Set (TNDS) and NextBuses API. A key part of the TNDS, its main purpose is to provide a single controlled list of (public service vehicle) operators and their public names. The NOC [...]

The UK’s national dataset of public transport access points (bus stops, rail stations, airports, ferry piers, tram/metro/underground stops) is known as the NaPTAN database. It records approximately 400,000 bus stops across England, Scotland and Wales, as well as other transport terminals including: rail stations airports NaPTAN consists of: a standard for identifying and naming access [...]

The National Public Transport Gazetteer (NPTG) is closely associated with the NaPTAN dataset and contains details of every city, town, village and suburb in Great Britain. This dataset is based on usage of names, rather than legal definitions and so includes local informal names for places as well as their official names. As a topographic [...]

The NextBuses API is an open API from Traveline. The API allows users to access live departure information by stop across Great Britain. Real-time information is provided where it is available and scheduled departures where not. The API is based on the SIRI standard, using the SIRI-SM function through a request/response communication mechanism. SIRI is [...]

Open data is data that has been made available to the public, for personal, educational or commercial use. It is usually released under an open data license, such as the Open Government License Version 3.0. Many public transport operators release their data as open data. Certain datasets must be released to the public under UK [...]

Open Graph is a technology first introduced by Facebook in 2010 that allows integration between Facebook and its user data and a website. By integrating Open Graph meta tags into your page’s content, you can identify which elements of your page you want to show when someone share’s your page

PCI DSS stands for “Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard”. It is usually referred to as “PCI” for short. PCI is an industry standard, designed to make it safer to use credit cards online by making sure that business collecting credit card data transmit and store it securely.

Search Engine Results Page – A search engine results page is the page displayed by a web search engine in response to a query by a searcher. 

In order to make real-time transport information compatible between different systems, several European countries joined efforts to create a standard protocol known as Service Interface for Real Time Information (SIRI). This protocol describes (at length!) how different systems can share real-time passenger information, allowing different suppliers, operators and local authorities to work together without costly [...]

A staging environment is a copy of your production environment (your current live website or app) on a private server. This is a safe place that will allow you to test any changes – major or minor – that you plan on implementing in a secure environment preventing any unexpected errors on your live website [...]

Transport Layer Security is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and browsers remain private and integral. TLS is an industry-standard and replaced SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) in 1999. SSL is now considered insecure but [...]

TransXChange is the UK national standard for exchanging bus schedules and related data. It is used for: the electronic registration of bus routes the Traffic Area Network the exchange of bus routes with other computer systems such as journey planners and vehicle real-time tracking systems https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/transxchange

The Traveline National Dataset (TNDS) contains public transport timetables for bus, light rail, tram and ferry services in Great Britain. It does not include national rail or coach services. It is managed by Traveline Information Ltd (TIL) who work with local authorities to bring all public transport timetables into a single dataset. The dataset provides [...]

Virtual Private Network – An isolated network of computers using existing infrastructure, such as a Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN or Internet) to securely connect to each other. 

Web Application Firewall – A WAF filters, monitors, and blocks HTTP traffic to and from a web application. A WAF is differentiated from a regular firewall in that a WAF is able to filter the content of specific web applications while regular firewalls serve as a safety gate between servers.