About the project

CharlieBoard draws inspiration from several sources, and hopes to inspire others to tinker, create, and learn.

This project is built using many open-source tools, and is itself open-source. By working with and contributing to open-source projects, we can make the world a more interesting place.

The MBTA will always be an iconic part of Boston, and CharlieBoard is a small way to celebrate it. Read the Build Log to see how it came together.

A photo of several CharlieBoard generations side by side

Meet the maker

Hi! I'm Thomas Underwood.

I'm a scientist, maker, and endlessly curious person. I study spatial transcriptomics at UCLA, and in my free time I tinker with DIY electronics, sewing, woodworking, and 3D printing.

A special thanks to the MBTA for its awesome API, MassGIS for providing fantastic map layers, and QGIS, a phenomenal open-source GIS platform.

A photo of Thomas Underwood

Get in touch.

Questions, build photos, and collaboration ideas are all welcome.