Topeka Metro Bikes

Topeka Metro Bikes (TMB) is a ride sharing program from Social Bikes (SOBI) that started in Topeka, Kansas in 2018. The program is available for all Topeka residents to use. The University of Arkansas is directly collaborating with TMB. This innovative city program is allowing our university access to the dataset for classroom learning.

Accessing the Topeka Metro Bike Dataset

The Topeka Metro Bike dataset is contained within the Walton College of Business's Enterprise System as well as at Washburn University. Dr. Pamela Schmidt of Washburn University has collaborated with Enterprise Systems to make this dataset available for the University to learn location analytics.

The dataset can be accessed with SQL queries within the University of Arkansas's Remote Desktop environment. The best way to access the dataset would be within the University's Teradata SQL Assistant software or Microsoft SQL Management Studio (Systems).

Once obtained, the TMB database can be queried as fit by the user.

Access To This Datasets

Access to this dataset is for educational use and Systems Access must be requested and approved prior to use. Once access has been approved, the Data Dictionary and Entity Relationship Diagram is available by logging into the requested system and selecting the Instructions tab.

Note: By legal agreement, It is forbidden to download the data from the University of Arkansas systems. This will be strictly enforced.

Request Systems Access

Behind the Data

Topeka Metro Bikes is an interactive website with a live map showing bikes, bike rack locations, and much more. To find out how many bikes are at each location and to see a live map, click here to visit the Topeka Metro Bikes website.

The Dataset

The Topeka Metro Bike dataset has several features that make it a great tool for learning about geolocation, live data. Within the dataset are 2-3 years of anonymous user information, bike paths, and other information regarding the TMB program.

When you download the dataset, use GPSvisualizer.com or another GPS mapping technology that accepts .gpx files. Once in the GPS visualizer application, you can select which GPS program to use (e.g., Google Maps) to display the data with. For example, you can download the dataset at the suggested website and use Google Maps to view the stored information.

Key Attributes of the Dataset

Geo-location data (GPS, or global positions system data)
Several years of data to explore
Anonymous user data including:
- Complete tracks of rides
- Per use subscription data, and
- Per bike inventory data

Supplemental Materials

Summary and Overview of the Dataset

The main idea of the TMB dataset is that is tracks anonymized data regarding the user, the trips taken on each bike, individual bike information, and map data. The TMB dataset has over 65 attributes and both categorical and continuous variables. The recorded data types include number, short text, date/time, and yes/no. Field names are varied and include attributes about the bike, the trips taken by bike users, map information such as latitude and longitude, membership information, cost and fees associated with trips, anonymized account information, and more.