StreetBump - The total crowdsourcing of a pothole mapping app

By the People, For the Peoplethe story of the crowdsourcing of StreeetBump

University College London May 29, 2013Urban Data Management Symposium Fabio Carrera

1961-1977

1978 -1988 (today)

1977-1978

1988 - today

1996 - 2004

2007 -

½ Ma

½ Ve

½ SFe

Fabio Carrera•Professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute•BSEE, MSCS (WPI)•PhD in Urban Information Systems and Planning (MIT)•Venice, Boston and Santa Fe Project Centers (WPI)•100’s of City Projects for past 25 years•Several smartphone apps

Related Papers & Conferences:

•Scholar.google.com (Fabio Carrera)•Carrera 2012 (AIC)•Carrera 2004 (MIT Dissertation)•Carrera & Ferreira (2007)•Carrera & Hewitt (2006)

OUTline

PremisesHistory of ProjectThe StreetBump AppStreetBump 2.0

OUTline

PremisesHistory of ProjectThe StreetBump AppStreetBump 2.0

Premises

Road Damage and Road RepairsPrevention vs. Cure

Premises

Road Damage and Road RepairsPrevention vs. Cure

Potholes and their Cost

• $400/yr per driver• $67 Billion in US (2008)• D+ for maintenance

Premises

Road Damage and Road RepairsPrevention vs. Cure

An ounce of Prevention is worth a Pound of Cure…

Pavement Surveys (expensive)

Alternative: Citizen Damage Reports

Even Better: STREETBUMP

Automatic Road Surveys from Smartphone…

OUTline

PremisesHistory of ProjectThe StreetBump AppStreetBump 2.0

History

Venice Turbulence MapperBoston Pothole Mapper

Venice Moto Ondoso

Wake-induced Canal Wall Damage

National Geographic Magazine (August 1999)

Mapping Canal Wall Damage

Venice Turbulence Mapper

Chiu, D., Lacasse, C., Menard, K., (2004). Mapping Turbulent Motorboat Discharges in the Canals of Venice, Italy. WPI Major Qualifying Project.

Mapping Boat Wake Turbulence

History

Venice Turbulence MapperBoston Pothole Mapper

from Venice to Boston…

WPI Global Project Centers

The Pothole Mapper

Angelini, N., Brache, J., Gdula, M., Shevlin, C., (2006). GPS Coordinated Pothole Mapping. WPI Major Qualifying Project.

Automatically Mapping Potholes

Pothole Mapper in Mayor Menino’s SUV

(circa 2006)

OUTline

PremisesHistory of ProjectThe StreetBump AppStreetBump 2.0

The Advent of Smartphones

What year was the 1st iPhone introduced?

The First iPhone

June 28, 2007.

Reporting Problems with Apps

Good idea, but user must…

a)know about appb)have app installedc)remember about itd)use it to report

StreetBump eliminates issues c and d

Automating Reports using Sensors

Accelerometers and Digital Compass

GPS

Wifi and Cellular Data

StreetBump: a Pothole Mapping app2008

• Android app• Detects Bumps over threshold• Records location on server and

• Acc. Forces (3 data windows)• Orientation• Bearing• Entropy

• Downloadable data• Settable parameters

StreetBump: Collecting Data Automatically

Turn it on and forget about it…(originally intended for City vehicles)

StreetBump: Mapping all Bumps

How can we tell if it is REALLY a pothole?

StreetBump: Crowdsourcing Potholes

• No attempt at classification on the fly• All Bumps over threshold are recorded on server• Potholes are confirmed by REPEAT hits at same location• Potholes have “signatures” that differ from

• Speed bumps• Railroad tracks• Bridge joints• Manholes… etc.

• Swerving confirms presence of potholes

Identifying Potholes: Innocentive Challenge

• $25,000 prize• 250,000 seekers• 700 solvers• 19 solutions• 3 winners

Open algorithms for POST-PROCESSING

StreetBump: Crowdsourced all the way• 6+ theses (publically available on the web)• 15+ students• Venice and Boston Project Centers

StreetBump: Crowdsourced all the way• 6+ theses (publically available on the web)• 15+ students• Venice and Boston Project Centers

• $30,000 grant• Shared IP

StreetBump: Crowdsourced all the way• 6+ theses (publically available on the web)• 15+ students• Venice and Boston Project Centers

• $30,000 grant• Shared IP

StreetBump: Crowdsourced all the way• 6+ theses (publically available on the web)• 15+ students• Venice and Boston Project Centers

• $30,000 grant• Shared IP

• Free app• Automatic Mapping• Open Source

StreetBump: Crowdsourced all the way• 6+ theses (publically available on the web)• 15+ students• Venice and Boston Project Centers

• $30,000 grant• Shared IP

• Free app• Automatic Mapping• Open Source

• $25,000 prize• 700 solvers -> 3 Winners• Post-Processing Algorithms

StreetBump: Crowdsourced all the way• 6+ theses (publically available on the web)• 15+ students• Venice and Boston Project Centers

• $30,000 grant• Shared IP

• Free app• Automatic Mapping• Open Source

• $25,000 prize• 700 solvers -> 3 Winners• Post-Processing Algorithms• StreetBump.org

StreetBump: Crowdsourced all the way• 6+ theses (publically available on the web)• 15+ students• Venice and Boston Project Centers

• $30,000 grant• Shared IP

• Free app• Automatic Mapping• Open Source

• $25,000 prize• 700 solvers -> 3 Winners• Post-Processing Algorithms• StreetBump.org

• 10,000 + downloads• 1,000’s of contributors• 100’s of staff users

OUTline

PremisesHistory of ProjectThe StreetBump AppStreetBump 2.0

StreetBump.org

Pothole Agents

carrera@wpi.edufabiocarrera.comcarrera.fabio@gmail.com

Citizapps.comStreetbump.org

THANKS!