Yours and volunteer bike tracking
bike sync and event info
Drawer menu
Tutorials/onboarding and accomplished events
Profile page
Event browser
Admin bike tracking
Bike filter
Profile and preference edittor

Inspiration

What it does

How we built it

Challenges we ran into

Accomplishments that wePathmakers: Integrating Logistics, Safety, and Volunteer Coordination for Community Cycling Events

Inspiration

The idea for Pathmakers emerged from observing the logistical challenges faced by community cycling events, particularly those organized for older or differently-abled participants. Organizers often struggled with coordinating volunteers, distributing bikes efficiently, and ensuring participant safety in real time.

We wanted a solution that integrated all operational aspects into one seamless system, making events safer, more efficient, and more enjoyable for participants. The concept of combining BLE beacons, participant smartphones, and an intelligent dashboard was inspired by existing GPS tracking and asset management technologies—but tailored for community-centric events rather than commercial fleets.

What We Learned

Through designing Pathmakers, we discovered several key insights:

User-centric design is critical.

Participants vary in age, technical literacy, and physical ability. We learned to prioritize accessibility, using large buttons, clear labels, and multiple languages.

Hardware-software integration is non-trivial.

Linking M1 Coin Tag BLE beacons with participant phones required precise Bluetooth pairing logic and robust handling of disconnections.

Data accuracy and safety require careful calibration.

The beacon’s accelerometer had to be fine-tuned to detect falls or tampering while minimizing false positives.

Optimizing GPS polling intervals balanced real-time tracking with minimal phone battery consumption.

Operational efficiency matters.

Automatic participant-volunteer-bike matching saved organizers hours, but we realized manual override options were necessary to handle exceptional cases.

How We Built It Hardware

We selected the M1 Coin Tag BLE beacon for its:

Compact size (26mm diameter, 7.1mm thickness)

Low cost ($5/unit), enabling fleet scalability

1.5-year battery life, reducing maintenance

Each beacon’s 3-axis accelerometer detects falls or tampering, while BLE ensures phones are paired with the correct bike at all times.

Software

The Pathmakers web app integrates:

Phone GPS data for real-time location tracking

Volunteer-participant matching algorithm based on profiles, special needs, and preferences

Admin dashboard for monitoring bikes, volunteers, and alerts

Firebase Blaze for hosting and real-time database management, with projected costs of $0.10 per participant per event

Google Maps API for visualizing routes and bike locations

Algorithmic Highlights

Our matching algorithm assigns volunteers and bikes using participant profiles:

MatchScore 𝑖 ,

𝑗

𝑤 1 ⋅ PreferenceMatch 𝑖 , 𝑗 + 𝑤 2 ⋅ SpecialNeedsCompatibility 𝑖 , 𝑗 + 𝑤 3 ⋅ BikeAvailability 𝑗 MatchScore i,j

=w 1

⋅PreferenceMatch i,j

+w 2

⋅SpecialNeedsCompatibility i,j

+w 3

⋅BikeAvailability j

where 𝑤 1 , 𝑤 2 , 𝑤 3 w 1

,w 2

,w 3

are weighted to prioritize safety and efficiency. Admins can override matches manually if required.

Challenges Faced

BLE and phone integration

Ensuring stable connections while phones run in the background was challenging, particularly given varying battery optimizations across iOS and Android devices.

False positives in accelerometer alerts

Minor bumps triggered notifications initially, so we implemented temporal filtering and sensitivity thresholds.

Cost vs. functionality trade-offs

Commercial GPS trackers offered global coverage, but were expensive (~$60–$80 per unit).

Using BLE + phone GPS allowed us to achieve 90% cost savings while adding event-specific features like volunteer coordination and safety alerts.

Data privacy and compliance

Storing PII like participant names, contact info, and GPS data required secure encryption, access control, and clear consent procedures to comply with PDPA.

Reflection and Impact

Building Pathmakers taught us that technology is most powerful when tailored to specific human contexts. By combining hardware and software thoughtfully, we created a solution that:

Reduces administrative overhead for organizers

Enhances participant safety and accountability

Enables rich analytics for future event planning

Maintains cost-effectiveness, allowing scalability for community events

We believe Pathmakers demonstrates how innovative integration of affordable hardware, real-time software, and thoughtful UX design can transform community cycling events, making them safer, smarter, and more accessible for everyone.'re proud of