Six months have gone by now and I've only got 1,000 maps left! That means that tens of thousands of people have already had an opportunity to see Greater Cincinnati's transit system in a new light. I've heard a lot of stories from people that the map has encouraged them and their friends to try the bus, allowed them to give better directions or to see Cincinnati in a new way. I'm told someone even got a date after someone asked him for directions and he whipped out the map. Transit maps as conversation starters!

Anyway, a few months ago, I entered the Frequent Transit Map in the US DOT's "Data Visualization Challenge", a contest looking for effective visualizations of publicly available transportation data. Voting is now open until November 18th, and I hope you'll all vote for my project and check out the other contestants' submissions. The top two entries will win a $2,000 scholarship and a trip to DC to accept the award!! 

http://dataviz.challenge.gov/submissions/4223-cincinnati-frequent-transit-map

It's been nearly four months since I we launched the Cincinnati Frequent Transit Map and I feel like it's time for a retrospective:

-I've spent those last four months giving maps to anyone who will take them. I've left maps with universities, social service agencies, hairdressers, the chamber of commerce, what feels like a million coffee shops, the transit agencies themselves, the library, and every local business and liberal organisation that I could think of. I've moved about 20,000 maps across the city  by bicycle

-UC printed 6,000 maps of their own, at their own cost and distributed them to freshmen living in the dorms this year. I'm eager to hear feedback on how they were received.

-I've had a number of job interviews because people were impressed with the map. (Altruistic design work pays, apparently)

-The website, www.CincyMap.org , has been redesigned and launched and gets a couple hundred downloads of the map each month. The Facebook page is fairly active too. You can follow us at: http://www.facebook.com/cincytransit

After all of that, somehow I still have 10,000 maps left, and I need your help distributing them. With the exception of a few, I'm having trouble getting large organisations to pay me any attention. I need specific contacts(you) at corporations or non-profits that might be able/willing to distribute maps to their employees or constituents. There are a lot of good reasons to tell your employees/students/clients about transit and we are providing that service for free. We just need to get in the door!

Here's how you can help: Give me a name and contact info for someone who could help distribute maps, or even better, pitch the maps to that person yourself and I will follow up. You can also help get word out by linking to the website (www.CincyMap.org) or hosting the pdf map on your own site.

You got this project off the ground, now let's make sure it reaches as many people as possible!

My bike is packed with envelopes, and I'm about to ride down to the post office with your Cincinnati Transit Maps! Once again, thank you all for your support. This project couldn't have happened without you!

And thanks to everyone who came out to the discussion at the CAC last night. I had a great time talking with y'all and meeting you in person!

Please remember, that this project doesn't have to stop here. You are free to do almost anything you want with this map. If you want to print your own version, distribute it digitally or physically, I will give you drawing files, transit data, and any help that I can. If you want to put your restaurant or whatever on the map, and hand it to customers, please don't hesitate!
Also, as you can see in the picture, there are *ahem* a few maps left. If you want some for your business, organisation, or neighborhood, get in touch with me and I'll get some to you.

Thank you for making this possible!!! -Nate

I sent the order to the printer for 30,000 maps! On Monday, I'll be receiving a very large stack of boxes just in time for the discussion at the Contemporary Arts Center :-)

Come Downtown and pick some up between 5:30 and 8pm on Monday and stick around to hear the conversation between myself and some other local transit advocates. I'll bring more than enough maps for y'all to take some to distribute to friends and neighbours. If I don't see you there, you can expect to get a few maps in the mail in the next week or two. Posters should be available in the next couple of weeks as well.

A website is being constructed at www.CincyMap.org that will host an easily downloadable PDF version of the map, drawing files, GIS data, and anything else anyone will need to build on the project or print their own maps. For now, you can download a PDF of the final print version here. If you would like to get some maps for your neighborhood or organisation, or if you'd like to help me distribute them in another way, please send me an email at bike756@gmail.com and we'll make arrangements.

One other quick bit of exciting news: UC Student Government recently approved funds to print an additional 6,000 maps just for next year's freshmen!

Thank you for making this project possible! Now get out there and explore the city car-free!!

I'll be speaking at the Contemporary Arts Center Monday May 23rd at 6:30pm about the transit map project. I'd love to meet all the people who made all this possible and I hope you'll come out and say hello!

In other news, the map is still working it's way towards completion. I am talking with a couple of institutions about distributing their own versions of the map, and a website is under construction that will make the map available for download as a convenient PDF. 

I expect the design work will be done within the next two weeks(I'm still waiting for comments from SORTA and TANK) and then it will be off to the printer and into your mailboxes(an everywhere else)!