Addictive Map Let's You Spend A Day In The Life Of An NYC Taxi

Images via

From Scorsese's look at the grimy underworld of 70s New York City taxi drivers, to the TV show that turned Danny DeVito into a star, there's been a certain allure to the life and times of yellow cabs. Map-loving data fiend Chris Whong began to eat away at that mystique in June by visualizing a year's worth of taxi activity on a map of Manhattan (with help from Eric Fischer of Mapbox). To create the project, he used data gathered from a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request to the Taxi and Limousine Commission for all taxi movements from 2013—a 50 gigabyte treasure trove of never-been-analyzed information. It turns out that map was just the beginning.

Whong has since crunched the numbers once more, pumping out a new map that offers a glimpse into the individual lives of New York's iconic yellow cabs. The new map, called A Day In The Life, follows drivers one at a time, listing their starting and ending points for each trip, the number of passangers, the fares earned, and other data gleaned from the FOIL request. One of 30 randomly selected taxis is temporarily under magnifying glass of your web browser, letting viewers trace the path the taxis might have taken from their logged drop off and pick up points.

The dynamic map's functionality offers insight into the mind of the drivers, constantly driving around in circles, wandering down Manhattan's avenues—occasionally for hours at a time if there are no customers (or, possibly, taking advantage of distracted passengers). This insight wouldn't be possible if it weren't for the work of Redditor u/fhoffa, who imported the data into BigQuery and helped Whong write a code that implements data in terms of days, instead of the whole year at once.

Maybe these visualizations can help taxi companies discover more efficient paths for their drivers, or maybe it can give New Yorkers insight into improving thier own cab-hailing techniques. On the other hand, we think the greatest benefit from this project is the empathy generated from watching these drivers endlessly circling Central Park and Times Square in an infinite loop that must feel like purgatory after a certain point. We're definitely tipping generously next time one of these yellow-tinted heros drops us off at our doorstep at four in the morning.

You can mess around with Whong's code by hitching a ride to his project page on GitHub. You can explore his portfolio website here, as well.

Related:

Here's A Year's Worth Of NYC Taxi Rides Brilliantly Visualized

Taxi Journeys And Flights Become Electrified Animations

Interactive Map Offers A Tour Around The Globe Via Drone-Recorded Videos

Customized London Taxi Cab Converts Street Noise Into Electronic Music