Safe Step

Inspiration

After looking at crime data, we realized that some routes to and from campus were dramatically safer than others–even if it was only a diversion of one/two blocks. Unfortunately, crime heat-maps only spot-check areas and generally block out large districts as "unsafe." As a UW student, avoiding the entire U District is impossible, so we built SecureSteps to provide a safer commute for our community.

What it does

SecureSteps uses crime data to optimize walking routes to your campus. Whether you're a local, or a new member to the community, you will be able to walk to campus knowing you are on the safest optimized route.

How I built it

SecureSteps is a web application in js, css, and html.

Challenges I ran into

We had a hard time optimizing the routes effectively and consistently. We went back and forth between Google Maps and Bing to find the best way to re-rout based on crime data.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Although the product was difficult to build, we ended up with a functional prototype and proof of concept. This was an accomplishment.

What I learned

How to use Bing API

What's next for Safe Step

Test the MVP to ensure that there is truly a use case for this product.