Kuan Butts
kuanbutts.com | kuanbutts@gmail.com
Professional Experience
November 2019 - Present
Senior Software Engineer, Telemetry at Mapbox
Processing and classification of live global stream of multimodal location data for road speed profiling
Development of large scale (billions of observations) live data stream
Spark analysis pipelines to profile speed and movement patterns
January 2017 - September 2019
Data Science & Engineering at UrbanFootprint
Development of network accessibility, travel, and land use models for spatial analytics platform
Implementation of spatial/statistical models on network graph representations of urban travel networks
January 2016 – EoY 2016
Software Engineer & Fellow at Code for America
Text-based communications platform to maintain scheduled outreach with high touch client pool
September 2015 – EoY 2015
Civic Technology Fellow at Microsoft TCE New York
Civic technology-based software and data engineering research at the New York civic tech hub
September 2014 – August 2015
Software Developer at MIT
Front-end Angular developer for CoAXs, software for bus and BRT route scenario modeling
Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology department full stack developer
September 2011 – August 2012
Urban Planner Junior Staff at H3 Studio
GIS, spatial data planning and rendering
Graduate Research
September 2012 – September 2014
Graduate Researcher with MIT
Transport technology development & operationalization Dhaka, Bangladesh and Mexico City
February 2014 – July 2014
Assistant for China Energy Efficient Urban Modeling Studio with MIT + Tsinghua University
Taiyuan, China urban development research applying “MIT Energy Pro Forma” energy modeling software
May 2013 – August 2013
Intermodal Transit Station (CETRAM) Operations Researcher with Urban Travel Logistics
Intermodal station mapping and analysis assessment of northern CETRAM operations in Mexico City
January 2013 – May 2013
Teaching Assistant for 11.303 MIT Complex Urban Projects Real Estate Development Studio
Urban planning studio for mid-career real estate professionals with on-site work in CBD1 Sao Paulo, Brazil
Formal Education
August 2012 – September 2014
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Master of City Planning. Transportation Systems Planning
Thesis: Iterative Methods in Adapting Mobile Technologies for Data Acquisition
August 2007 – May 2011
Washington University in St. Louis
Bachelor of Science, Architecture
Urban Planning Concentration
October 2014 - December 2014
Recurse Center (writer’s retreat for developers)
Select Projects
Peartree (github.com/kuanb/peartree)
Python library for converting transit data into a directed graph for network analysis
ClientComm
2016 Criminal justice system case manager-client communications platform
NYC Bus Data API (busturnaround.nyc)
2015 Microsoft Civic Technology project implementing NYC MTA bus “big data” analytics
CoAXs (coaxs.scripts.mit.edu)
Bus system scenario modeling tool for MIT Media Lab’s 2015 Changing Places Research Group
2013-2014 Mexico City CETRAM MISTI Global Seed Fund Research Project
Intermodal station operations research analysis applying Flocktracker application on informal transit routes
The First Bus Map of Dhaka, Bangladesh (kickstarter)
Joint 2013 venture MIT/Urban Launchpad, developing software to support mapping of first bus network map
CityPulse
2012 St. Louis, MO project developing art installation of interconnected urban activation light poles
Speaking Engagements
“Data Science: Urban transport networks analysis”
Urban Informatics and Visualization UC Berkeley CP255 Guest Lecture; recurring (2022, 2024)
“Lines vs Lanes: Modeling lane fan out in OSM”
State of the Map US, Salt Lake City, UT 2024
“(Travel) time is money! Costing turns, intersections, and ways”
State of the Map US, Richmond, VA, 2023
“OpenLR pitfalls and strategies to avoid them”
State of the Map US, Richmond, VA, 2023
“Traffic Volume Indexing on OSM with Mapbox Movement”
State of the Map US, Tucson, 2022
“Improving Accessibility at the Intersection of Land Use and Transit Data”
Rail~Volution, Vancouver, September 2019
“OSM in UrbanFootprint: Combining walk network with transit schedule data for non-auto-based accessibility measures”
State of the Map US, Detroit, October 2018
Session lead on open source tools for GTFS analysis and interfacing with network graph analysis tools
TransportationCamp UC Davis, May 2018
Main stage speaker presenting on development of ClientComm in Salt Lake County, Utah
Code for America Summit, November 2016
Development of NYC bus data API, a digital resource for real-time and historical bus performance
Microsoft New York City Winter Demo Night, December 2015
“Quantitative methods of qualitative surveying and Flocktracker application case study”
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco Conferencia sobre Seguridad en transporte público y CETRAM, January 2014
“Spatiotemporal Dynamics in Public Transit Security Perceptions: Digital Evidence from Mexico City”
Regional Studies Association International Conference, December 2013
Transit data adaptation challenges for World Bank, Columbia, and MIT; online at gtfsfortherestofus.net
GTFS for the Rest of Us at the World Bank, November 2013
Academic Publications
Uneven Perceptions in Mobility Security: Digital Evidence from a Post-Industrial City
Kuan Butts, P. Christopher Zegras
Submission to “Movilidades Desiguales,” Santiagosemueve. October 2014
Spatiotemporal Dynamics in Public Transport Personal Security Perceptions:
Digital Evidence from Mexico City’s Periphery
P. Christopher Zegras, Kuan Butts, Arturo Cadena, Daniel Palencia
ICT for Transport: Opportunities and Threats (P. Rietveld, M. Givoni, N. Thomopoulos, Eds.)
Edward Elgar Publishing. May 2015
Tracing a Path to Knowledge? Indicative use impacts of introducing a public transport map in Dhaka, Bangladesh
P. Christopher Zegras, E. Eros, K. Butts, et al.
Submission in “Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy, and Society.” December 2014
Articles & Contributions
“As Los Angeles confronts coronavirus, a slower city is visible from above”
Pesce, Anthony & Krishnakumar, Priya & Martínez, Vanessa & Murphy, Ryan. Los Angeles Times. 03/21/2020.
Role: ETL and data pipeline.
“Traffic Maps Show How Coronavirus Pandemic Has Emptied Streets Across Globe”
Aldhous, Peter. BuzzFeed News. 03/20/2020.
Role: ETL and data pipeline, maps frontend.
“How the car-free policy impacted Market Street traffic”
Butts, Kuan. Mapbox Blog. 02/27/2020.
Role: Maps, graphics, data, and article text.
“Contextualize the Curb to Keep Pace with New Mobility”
Butts, Kuan. UrbanFootprint Blog. 07/12/2019.
Role: Maps, graphics, data, and article text.
“A Walk in the Park with UrbanFootprint.”
Butts, Kuan. UrbanFootprint Blog. 07/12/2019.
Role: Maps, graphics, data, and article text.
Butts, Kuan. “Examining Transit Accessibility By the Numbers in St. Louis”
Butts, Kuan. UrbanFootprint Blog. 06/19/2019.
Role: Maps, graphics, data, and article text.
“Cities Start to Question an American Ideal: A House With a Yard on Every Lot”
Badger, Emily & Bui, Quoctrung. New York Times. 06/18/2019.
Role: ETL and data pipeline for data evaluation, processing, and delivery.
“California Today: Can Californians Drive Less?”
Dougherty, Conor & Medina, Jennifer. New York Times. 03/19/2018.
Role: Date extraction, processing, and evaluation.
“How Might SB 827 Impact California? We Took a Deep Dive Into the Data”
DiStefano, Joe & Butts, Kuan. UrbanFootprint Blog. 03/12/2018.
Role: Maps, graphics, data, and article text.
Exhibitions
October 2014
Uneven Mobilities. Access in Contemporary Cities, International Conference. Santiago de Chile.
Universidad de Chile and PanAmerican Mobility Network presentation on St. Louis Flocktracking security analysis
January 2013 & 2014
Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology’s Future Urban Mobility Symposium
National University of Singapore poster session presenting ongoing Flocktracking efforts in Dhaka and Mexico City
April 2011
What Should Be: Master plan proposal for St. Louis zoo south campus
Online at nextstl.com/what-should-be
March 2012 - November 2012
Pruitt-Igoe NOW: Envisioning use for former project housing, online at pruittigoenow.org
December 2011 - March 2012
GOOD Ideas for Cities: Networked activity monitors to highlight pedestrian activity in St. Louis
August 2011 - November 2010
Gutter to Gulf Goes Global: Comparative watershed research exhibition
Media Coverage
Kelly-Yahner, Kyle. “Closing The Communication Gaps In The Criminal Justice System.” Twilio Developer Blog. 02/02/2017.
Desmarais, Chris. “ClientComm: IBM Watson aiding in casework.” IBM Watson Cognitive Enterprise. 11/18/2016.
O'Reilly, Tim. “Stuff that Matters: Design Challenge.” Code for America Medium. 06/30/2016.
Accuardi, Zak. “To Improve Transit, Be Smart About Delays.” The Connection. TransitCenter. 05/17/2016. (TransportationCamp ’16. 09/26)
Burri, Anja. “Dhaka’s first bus map in the making.” The Dhaka Daily Star. 01/13/2013.
Schiller, Ben. “Building A Map For The Insane Public Transit Of Bangladesh.” Fast Company Exist. 01/08/2013.
Voluntary Commitments
Fall 2023 - Present
Event host and organizer for Maptime Bay Area (map software developer meetup)
Spring 2022 - Present
Transport Oakland Board member
2021 - Present
Traffic Violence Rapid Response organizer, founding member
Spring 2017 - Spring 2018
DataKind Developer Volunteer
California Civic Engagement Project: Voting Facility siting tool
Immigrant Legal Resource Center: Eligible-To-Naturalize Populations Explorer data visualization project
2015
BetaNYC (Code for America New York City Brigade) Civic Hacker]
Code for America New York Brigade volunteer, focusing on bus data acquisition and analysis (betanyc.us)
Fall 2012 – Summer 2015
Urban Launchpad Mexico City Lead and Dhaka Team Member
Social venture dedicated to enhancing transit/institutional operations in rapidly urbanizing cities
Fall 2011 – Fall 2012
Brain Drain Collective Member
St. Louis transplants social startup specializing in urban resiliency issues, spawned local startup CTY
Awards, Grants, and Scholarships
March 2016
CourtHack: National Center for State Courts Hackathon, Utah CIO & Supreme Court Justice “ClientComm” Winner
Spring 2015
Swissnex + Data Canvas: Sense Your City Data Challenge, Maker Prize Award Recipient
Spring 2014
Legatum Center Seed Grant for Innovative and Entrepreneurial Projects
January 2014
MISTI 2.0 IAP Global Seed Fund Grant
Fall 2013
William Emerson Travel Award, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning
Summer 2013
MISTI Mexico Global Seed Fund
September 2012 to May 2014
MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning Tuition Scholarship
March 2012
GOOD Ideas for Cities, St. Louis Award Recipient to Brain Drain Collaborative