Innovative city map app could revolutionise urban travel
A smart phone application has been developed in Porto, Portugal that enables users to record their daily routine through sensors embedded in their mobile phones. The app, called SenseMyCity, has been developed within the EU-funded FUTURE-CITIES Project. SenseMyCity enables users to record everyday occurrences - such as fuel consumption per journey, the possibility of car sharing or levels of stress - which can then be studied later for further analysis. Operating the app itself is very simple: users simply record their routine through sensors embedded in their smart phone, and are then able to view this information on a dedicated webpage. The FUTURE-CITIES team is confident that analysis of this data can be used to optimise routes and fuel consumption, and perhaps also to identify people with similar mobility patterns in order to boost car sharing and carpooling. Furthermore, the app could have important applications for professionals who need real time information about what is happening on the street, such as fire fighters, bus drivers and the police. SenseMyCity was developed to work in conjunction with other data collection projects, and relies on users operating the device consciously and voluntarily. The project needs a pool of users willing to participate in experiments, and already has in place logistic support for city-wide experiments. 'We need participants who want to fully join in with this experiment, learn more about themselves and about the city,' said Ana Aguiar, researcher and lecturer at Porto University's Faculty of Engineering (FEUP). 'This is the main aim of a campaign to promote the SenseMyCity application. We are designing a kind of competition based around research, offering prizes to those who contribute with the most data. The lowest fuel consumption, or the largest area of the city covered, are just two of the factors that can be "awarded" a prize.' The app's technical infrastructure consists of the following: A framework for Android OS to gather data from the device's available sensors, a java server to process the data and store it in an PostgreSQL database and a webpage to consult information in a user friendly way. SenseMyCity is an important landmark for the FUTURE-CITIES Project, which began in October 2012. The project aims to unlock the full potential of interdisciplinary research in urban technologies, and strengthen knowledge transfer activities in close cooperation with local and global industrial partners. A key goal is to turn the city of Porto into an urban-scale living lab, where researchers, companies and start-ups can develop and test technologies, products and services, exploring such subjects as sustainable mobility, urban-scale sensing, safety and privacy, as well as quality of life for citizens and their families. As exemplified by the SenseMyCity app, the project aims to work in a very interdisciplinary way, engaging not only engineers but also psychologists, urban studies specialists and citizens. Being a project of the University of Porto, and because of its multidisciplinary nature, the Future Cities involves research groups from several faculties such as engineering, psychology and sciences. The FUTURE-CITIES Project, which is scheduled to run until 2016, is in line to receive a total of EUR1 615 224 in EU funding.For more information, please visit: FUTURE CITIES http://futurecities.up.pt/site/ Project factsheet
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