VANquish Collisions Hackathon

Team Safeway developed an app to help pedestrians find "safe walking routes" as an alternative to the walking routes proposed by Google Maps which are based on the shortest path.

The app selects the safest routes using:

• Collision history
• Traffic volumes
• Infrastructure data (for example, location of existing signals) 
• Lighting conditions

The app can also help users report any concerns or collisions, and alert users walking nearby of the most recent collisions reported.

The app would help us identify gaps at popular walking routes where the safer routes are significantly longer than the shortest path, so these can be addressed with improvements.

Team CityFlux created a simulation engine that aggregates real time data collected by cameras throughout the city and then creates a simulation of bike, pedestrian, transit, or vehicle traffic, to use for various testing purposes.

Users can use the platform to report unsafe zones. Governments can use the simulator to plan and design future cities, including testing new structures within an existing city.

Team SignCyclr focused on improving conflicts between drivers turning right and cyclists going straight at protected bike lanes, as this represents around 13% of the reported cyclist collisions in Vancouver.

The idea is to have a dynamic sign that would illuminate with a "Bike nearing" message, telling drivers turning right that a cyclist is approaching, and to be extra careful.

The prototype consisted of a raspberry pie and camera, which detects a cyclist approaching. Alternatively, a road tube can be put in place of the camera.

The proposal recommends this dynamic sign to replace the static signs currently used such as the "yield to cyclist" or "no right turn".

What interventions will move us more quickly towards our zero transportation related fatalities and serious injuries goal while encouraging active travel, especially for vulnerable road users such as seniors and children?

Seniors

Seniors are involved in 40% of fatalities and 22% of serious injuries, while only representing 14% of the population.

How can we reduce transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries for this group?

How can the City make active travel safe and comfortable for seniors, especially in neighbourhoods with a large senior population and near amenities most visited by seniors?

Children

Children are one of the most vulnerable group of road users.

How can we apply safety measures for children as they travel to school, spend time at playgrounds, and move around the city? 

Pedestrians and cyclists

People are extra vulnerable when they are walking and cycling, and account for 60% of the transportation related fatalities and serious injuries each year.

How can we make our streets safer for people walking and cycling?

Community amenities

Public parks, schools, and community centres should be some of the safest places in our city.

How can we reduce transportation-related incidents for people using these community amenities?

 Datasets required for tackling the challenge will be released on the event launch on September 7, 2018 at 6pm.

The following criteria will be evaluated by the judges:

• Innovation: how unique is the solution?
   
• Feasibility: how easily can the solution be implemented?
   
• User experience: what is the overall experience of a person using the product?
   
• Strategic thinking: is the solution scalable? Will it continue to be relevant for the foreseeable future?
   
• Alignment with challenge: did the solution clearly identify the problem they are attempting to solve? Is the solution relevant to the identified challenge?

Dr. Tyrone Grandison

Dr. Tyrone W A Grandison is the first-ever Chief Information Officer of the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. His experience includes:

Deputy Chief Data Officer at the US Department of Commerce (2015-16), where he co-founded the Commerce Data Service
White House Presidential Innovation Fellow (2014-15) working with the US Department of Labor and the US CENSUS Bureau.
Adviseing the Government of Jamaica on their Information Technology strategy
Dr. Grandison has been recognized by:

FedScoop as "The Most Inspiring Up and Comer" in the US Government (2015) 
National Society of Black Engineers as Pioneer of the Year in 2009
Federal Computer Weekly as a "Rising Star" (2016)
Institute for Education as "High Impact Presidential Innovation Fellow" (2016)
He has also received the IEEE Technical Achievement Award in 2010 for "pioneering contributions to Secure and Private Data Management". Dr. Grandison has authored over a 100 technical papers, co-invented over 47 patents, and has written a couple of books on Privacy and Trust Management.

Find more information about Dr. Grandison