Inspiration
Tracking the usage of bike paths and lanes is important to show the resource is being used. The more usage the more dollars allocated to the project. Current tracking devices are either hundreds of dollars or are not internet connected meaning there is a delay of sometimes months before data is gathered. This solves both problems.
What it does
Notices motion and posts data using MQTT. The device is flexible and cheap enough to be disposable in case of tampering/theft and to run over multiple service networks (wifi, cell, etc).
How I built it
An arduino clone (esp8266) connects to an MQTT server and posts when motion is sensed. A script subscribes to the channel and inserts motion events into a database with a time stamp for post processing. The current implementation can scale to thousands of devices for less than $50 a piece.
Challenges I ran into
Code not working when it was...
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
As an advocate for improved biking facilities, seeing the current backlash against lanes in my own city, and knowing how limited budgets are for advocacy groups this project can really make an improvement in the lives of Baltimore citizens. Frequently only the loudest get heard but with this captured real time data those in power will now have the data to make the correct decisions moving Baltimore forward.
What I learned
I work best under the stress of a looming deadline
What's next for Biketrakr
Clean up the code and build out the API for universal digestion of the counts.
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