Gaining insights from Calgary Bike Path and Air Quality Sensor Data

Many cities are hearing complaints from cycling groups that there is a need for safer roads and bike paths. In order to gain insights on how many citizens are using bike paths, many cities, such as the City of Calgary, has installed bike path counters in various locations across the city.  The bike path counters are stationary sensors that detect the number of bicycles that pass by a certain location.

For some citizens, they want to know whether or not these bike paths are being used. We created an online dashboard allowing users to interact with the bike path counter data. For example, it can tell us the bicycle traffic at the certain location at various times of the day. Over time we can see cycle trends which can vary depending on external factors like weather, events, weekends, etc.

Data is always more powerful by combining more than one together. One benefit of using SensorThings is that we can combine data from different sensors effortlessly. We believe some cyclists are interested in the air they breathe along their daily commute route. By integrating the Calgary air quality sensor networks, our bike path dashboard also allow users to see on which route what is their air quality. With more smart city sensors we can make more informed decisions every day which can impact not just our daily commute but our health as well.

Finally we would like to thank the amazing Calgary smart citizens who set up our air quality sensors in their backyards, and Natural Resources Canada’s support for the air quality sensor project.