Why not just use Google Maps?

The Shortcomings of Current Navigation Apps (and what we're doing about it)

While existing navigation apps have revolutionized how we travel by car, they fall significantly short when it comes to serving active transport users. Here's why:

1. Incomplete Data: Most navigation apps rely on data primarily collected for vehicular traffic. This means they often lack crucial information about bike lanes, pedestrian paths, crosswalks, and other infrastructure essential for cyclists and pedestrians.

2. Car-Centric Routing: The algorithms used by these apps are optimized for car travel, often prioritizing the fastest route over the safest or most comfortable one for cyclists and pedestrians. This can lead to suggestions that put active transport users in dangerous or stressful situations.

3. Lack of Qualitative Information: Current apps rarely provide information about the quality of bike lanes, sidewalk conditions, or the level of traffic stress on shared roads - all critical factors for cyclists and pedestrians.

4. Inadequate Updates: The infrastructure for active transport often changes more rapidly than road networks, with new bike lanes or pedestrian paths being added regularly. Traditional data collection methods struggle to keep up with these changes.

5. Poor Integration of Multi-Modal Options: Many apps fail to effectively combine cycling or walking directions with public transit options, making it difficult for users to plan efficient multi-modal journeys.

6. One-Size-Fits-All Approach: Current apps often don't account for the varying needs and preferences of different types of cyclists or pedestrians, from confident daily commuters to cautious occasional riders.

Oakland CA bikeways are disconnected and diverse (in a bad way).

Our Hardware-Based Data Gathering Solution:

We'd love to "just use" current data and whip up a decent multi-modal active transport routing tool for cyclists, walkers and scooter users, but such a tool can't work without the data.

To address these shortcomings, we are creating a scaleable data gathering solution that will allow us to complete the map of human-scale roads or “small ways”.

1. Comprehensive Data Collection: Our hardware allows for the collection of highly detailed, accurate data about active transport infrastructure. This includes not just the location of bike lanes and paths, but also their width, surface quality, and level of protection from traffic.

2. Qualitative Information: Through voice annotations, users can provide rich, contextual information about routes. This might include notes about scenic views, areas of heavy pedestrian traffic, or sections that feel unsafe due to high-speed car traffic.

3. User-Centric Perspective: By collecting data from actual cyclists and pedestrians, we ensure that our maps reflect the real experiences and preferences of active transport users, not just what looks good on paper.

4. Micro-Level Detail: Our hardware can capture minute details that are crucial for active transport but often overlooked in car-centric mapping, such as curb cuts, pedestrian crossing signals, or bike parking facilities.
   

By addressing these critical gaps in current navigation apps, our hardware-based solution aims to create maps and routing services that truly meet the needs of active transport users. This approach not only provides more accurate and useful navigation for cyclists, pedestrians, and transit riders but also contributes to a broader understanding of how people move through urban spaces using sustainable transport modes.

As cities worldwide strive to promote active transportation and reduce car dependency, tools like ours become essential. By providing detailed, up-to-date, and user-centric mapping for active transport, we can encourage more people to choose sustainable mobility options, leading to healthier, more livable urban environments.

Our solution represents a significant step forward in bridging the gap between technology and sustainable urban mobility. By reimagining how we collect and use spatial data, we're not just creating better maps - we're paving the way for a future where active transport is a viable, attractive option for all city dwellers.