Inspiration

A nearby facility can still require a long or difficult journey. SilverSteps aims to help planners review access from residential HDB blocks to existing Active Ageing Centres (AACs) and polyclinics, supporting more inclusive communities for seniors.

What it does

Our proposed three-area pilot will identify long walking journeys and detours, alongside barrier-free access (BFA) analysis within verified supported coverage. Separate AAC and polyclinic coverage measures will be weighted by dwelling units, with senior population context kept at official reporting geography.

Planners will explore flagged journeys on a map and export selected routes for further review. Flags support map-based screening, not proof of physical barriers or a need for infrastructure fixes.

How we plan to build it

Public demographic, housing, facility and boundary data will be combined with cached OneMap routing responses. Lakeflow Jobs will coordinate Python ingestion into Delta tables; Python and SQL will calculate coverage and route comparisons. Unity Catalog will record provenance, while a Databricks AI/BI dashboard will present findings.

Adaptive destination search will consider facilities beyond pilot boundaries. BFA and ordinary walking routes will be compared using the same facility and endpoints.

Challenges and learning so far

Initial testing confirmed walking API access, while BFA access requires separate approval, now requested. Other key challenges include matching population geography, checking route endpoints and distinguishing missing data from poor access. Failed or uncertain routes will remain explicit unknowns.

What comes next

During the two-week sprint, we plan to verify three pilot areas, test BFA coverage, check sample routes and threshold sensitivity, and deliver a complete dashboard and export workflow.