• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, March 31, 2014

The Digital Place-based Advertising Association is getting its first member from the public sector and it’s a big one: the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, whose New York City Transit division is in the process of rolling out digital signage that will carry advertising.

The MTA is joining the DPAA to gather insights about digital out-of-home advertising and participate in initiatives to advance the medium.
 
NYCT’s digital signage network includes over 140 “On the Go” interactive digital travel information screens in subway stations across New York City. The interactive kiosks provide users with a variety of information via 47-inch touchscreen displays.
 
In 2012, CBS Outdoor partnered with the MTA to install a network of 100 large, double-sided digital displays at the entrances to subway stations around Manhattan. The “Urban Panel” network is intended to improve NYCT’s ability to communicate with passengers about route changes and other important information. The displays also carry paid advertising messages.
 
Earlier this month, CBS Outdoor formally launched its new digital out-of-home network based in New York City subway stations. The new CBS Outdoor “digital underground” network includes 10 large digital dioramas -- each measuring 66 inches high and 38.5 inches wide -- in strategic locations throughout the subway system, including Grand Central, Times Square, Columbus Circle, Bryant Park, Lincoln Center and Herald Square.

Paul Fleuranges, the MTA’s senior director for corporate and internal communications, explained the decision to join the DPAA: “We are hoping this digital screen initiative will become a strong revenue source for us since our other digital assets have performed very well. We are joining DPAA because the better informed we are about the digital place-based industry, the more effective our initiative will be.&rdquo ;