Expat f*cks $-faced LTA terok terok

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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - Expat f*cks $-faced LTA terok terok</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>

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LTA Trying To Scam Singaporeans' Money?

>> 3/10/2010 09:51:00 PM – Government, Rights, Singapore, Tech Stuff

The Park-a-Lot Lite app, developed by local developer NiiDees, has removed its live parking data feature which displayed which carparks had vacant lots, following a notice from the LTA.

<SMALL>via zdnet asia</SMALL>​

Park-a-Lot Lite is an iPhone app that was previously able to pull data from the LTA's website, which then showed Singaporean drivers, through a convenient interface, what parking garages around the city-state had open spots.

​

However, LTA ordered the developer to disable that function of the app, which more or less killed the app's usefulness. It was one of the most popular iPhone apps in Singapore prior to this move.

So, what's LTA's reasoning? Money. They want more of it.

That said, the LTA is open to licensing the data out, the spokesperson added.

<SMALL>via zdnet asia</SMALL>​

LTA says that this data is collected from garage operators to be displayed only on the LTA website. I assume that means they have a contract set up with these garage operators, paying them citizens' tax money to have this information made available for display on their government website, which is itself also funded by citizens' tax money.

Now, this offer to license out the data is where I think LTA is trying to pull the wool over people's eyes in an effort to create a double-taxation. You see, citizens are already paying for this data to be made available to them via the website.

<SMALL>Kind of a mess and hard to navigate isn't it?</SMALL>​

When you think about it that way, you could in fact say that LTA has failed the public and is misusing tax money. I looked over the LTA and OneMotoring sites briefly and didn't see any prominent links to this service, and until now I didn't even realize it was available. I wonder how many other people in Singapore were in a similar situation? Doesn't that mean the revenue that was being used to license that data was being misused by LTA? Doesn't that mean they failed to make the data properly available to the public when the public was paying for it? This is a useful service that was being paid for and that the public obviously wanted easy access to, yet they were denied. And now they've been denied again.

What Park-a-Lot Lite did was package that information into a convenient, easy to use interface that allowed citizens to use data that they were already paying for with their tax money. There's really no difference between an iPhone app accessing the data on LTA's site, and a web browser accessing the data on LTA's site. The same amount of data is transferred. Less actually, since only the data is requested, which puts less strain (not that there was much strain before) on LTA's web host and any bandwidth limitations it might have. One could argue that the data was only licensed to be shown on LTA's website, and I would argue that the App isn't a website and is merely acting as a window to LTA's site. Additionally, I would argue that with the rapidly changing tech scene in Singapore, and with more and more people going mobile, LTA should have taken the initiative to amend their contract to specifically allow for mobile access to the data from their site.

Instead, what's going on here is that LTA has recognized an opportunity to try to shaft people out of more of their hard earned money by making them pay for something they've already paid for and is moving quickly to capitalize on it.

Shameful, and it should be illegal.
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[StonebridgeLeaner]

Hungry Asians are hilarious.

 

[Watchman]

Soon LTA will crush everyone with satelite ERP systems !

 

[mustspeakup]

Park-a-Lot is a free APP...

LTA shouldn't charge but then again we have Pay n Pay government.

I worry if we don't pay....

 

[sadfcuk]

Soon LTA will crush everyone with satelite ERP systems !

Err.. you don't even need that. Just modify the IU to beep and deduct $ once the ignition starts.

Satellites are expensive to maintain ok.

 

[Sperminator]

Err.. you don't even need that. Just modify the IU to beep and deduct $ once the ignition starts.

Satellites are expensive to maintain ok.

you don't even need the IU anymore, what could be done is to remove all ERPs, and have a blanket TAX policy of another 100% in additional to the COE, and Vehicle, and Road Tax.

So, no longer need to maintain ERP, maintaining ERP cost money okay?

 

[Einfield]

You can't regulate traffic with blanket Tax policy.
ERP can charge you until the pocket hurts and make drivers divert or avoid peak period on the express way.
Rich guy can zoom pass with no problem at all, all these small money to them.

The best policy is base on usage, the more you use, the more you pay, rates also differ from the type of vehicle you drive, the more fancy, the higher the rates.

Traffic fine base on percentage of the person's income, a $200 ticket is nothing to a Rich guy, but a $20,000 fine will have some effect.

you don't even need the IU anymore, what could be done is to remove all ERPs, and have a blanket TAX policy of another 100% in additional to the COE, and Vehicle, and Road Tax.

So, no longer need to maintain ERP, maintaining ERP cost money okay?

 

[kingrant]

Some time back, the SLA also forced the closure of Streetdirectory.com which has been serving motorists and commuters for years. Reason? Streetdirectory was not paying IP rights to SLA. Subsequently, SLA launched their own Streetmap which is so lame and lacks the many features of Streetdirectory.com. For a long while, people who needed to find places or plan journeys had no alternatives, as access to Streetdirectory was chopped. There was also the SBSTransit bus service map which was practically unuseable, as loading took years and each mouse click resulted in a long wait for the map to refresh. Finally, it seems an agreement was reached between SLA and Streetdirectory and the latter was revived. By then, Google Map was also available, and the Get Directions feature was also much better. A shame when govt is so money-faced to the disadvantage of the consumers.

 

[sadfcuk]

You can't regulate traffic with blanket Tax policy.
ERP can charge you until the pocket hurts and make drivers divert or avoid peak period on the express way.
Rich guy can zoom pass with no problem at all, all these small money to them.

The best policy is base on usage, the more you use, the more you pay, rates also differ from the type of vehicle you drive, the more fancy, the higher the rates.

Traffic fine base on percentage of the person's income, a $200 ticket is nothing to a Rich guy, but a $20,000 fine will have some effect.

Exactly. You want a system which charges small amounts at regular intervals. That way, the money keeps on rolling in on a periodic basis.

That is how interest works, installment plans work, and how payment schemes works.

Ever tried buying a big-ticket item like a car with 100% cold, hard cash? They will charge you a penalty (in the form of a premium) if you try to do that. You have to take up a loan and pay it off in installments.

 

[shelltox]

you may have got this wrong, streetdirectry was charging exorbitant prices for the rights to use the maps by third party on their web site. esp Ntuc and streetdirectory almost took ntuc to court for infringing copyrights. correct me if I am wrong

 

[kingrant]

Both of us are correct or wrong, depending on which way you look at it. here's a link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetdirectory.com

you may have got this wrong, streetdirectry was charging exorbitant prices for the rights to use the maps by third party on their web site. esp Ntuc and streetdirectory almost took ntuc to court for infringing copyrights. correct me if I am wrong

 

[Medusa]

Bump.............

 

[HTOLAS]

You are mostly right - streetdirectory.com came down hard on anyone who'd use sections of their map in their material, printed or electronic. They didn't just go after the big guys. In fact, they tended to go for the small guys, and a friend was hit hard for using a map featuring no more than 1 km2.

Everyone had assumed that streetdirectory.com owned the rights to the original maps on which they built their site. It was a shock that they were using SLA maps but satisfying that they got a taste of their own medicine.

This is not to say I approve of that SLA is doing re the apps. Also these days I go to this site for my maps: http://www.openstreetmap.org/

It ain't perfect, but it's free.

you may have got this wrong, streetdirectry was charging exorbitant prices for the rights to use the maps by third party on their web site. esp Ntuc and streetdirectory almost took ntuc to court for infringing copyrights. correct me if I am wrong

 

[kingrant]

Depends on what you are looking for. Google Map has got a pretty good coverage of Singapore, and there's now Streetview. Google's Get Directions is better than Streetdir because from my experience looking for public transport, the latter does not cover buses from SMRT only SBS. That's how limited it is.

You are mostly right - streetdirectory.com came down hard on anyone who'd use sections of their map in their material, printed or electronic. They didn't just go after the big guys. In fact, they tended to go for the small guys, and a friend was hit hard for using a map featuring no more than 1 km2.

Everyone had assumed that streetdirectory.com owned the rights to the original maps on which they built their site. It was a shock that they were using SLA maps but satisfying that they got a taste of their own medicine.

This is not to say I approve of that SLA is doing re the apps. Also these days I go to this site for my maps: http://www.openstreetmap.org/

It ain't perfect, but it's free.

 

[HTOLAS]

What I meant was if I wanted to use it on my material.

Cheers.

Depends on what you are looking for. Google Map has got a pretty good coverage of Singapore, and there's now Streetview. Google's Get Directions is better than Streetdir because from my experience looking for public transport, the latter does not cover buses from SMRT only SBS. That's how limited it is.

 

[KKC007]

Other cities are giving out raw data, hoping developers build apps to ease the local goverment's workload.

Singapore's wants to charge for its data.

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/clay-dillow/culture-buffet/six-civic-apps-wed-see-more