About 39,000 people died in car crashes in the United States in 2020, 6,200 of which were pedestrians. Needless to say, these deaths are more than just statistics. Each one has ripple effects for families, loved ones, and the wider community. I am aiming. In the long term, we hope to reduce the number of injuries and make traffic safer overall.
Viva (or known as VivaCity in the UK) is already established in Australia and the UK and is now bringing artificial intelligence sensors to New York City. Collaborate with the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DoT) on a new safety data analytics project. Viva’s sensors collect anonymized data that shows how different street users move (or don’t move) around the city. It can monitor how many vehicles or people are stuck in which direction, when and where, and even detect “near misses” between vehicles or vehicles and pedestrians.
This rich, anonymized data is intended to help the NYC DoT make strategic decisions to help people move from A to B more efficiently, more sustainably, and more safely. and Theoretically, if you can predict where an accident is likely to occur, you should wait for one or more accidents to occur and then act, rather than taking steps to prevent them. is.
“There is a great need for technology that adapts to the changing mobility landscape. Reactive decision-making is fit-for-purpose and cost lives. We need data to understand better,” explains Viva CEO Mark Nicholson. “This will allow authorities to direct billions of dollars of infrastructure investment annually to the right places.”
“The main driving force for both myself and my co-founders is tackling climate change. Sadly, transport is the most stubborn globally when it comes to emissions, even with the introduction of electric vehicles. says Nicholson. In a nutshell, poor transportation infrastructure kills people in many ways. “Making our streets safer means more people can walk or pedal on two wheels. Good for people and good for the planet.”
“I am excited to see the impact this has on road safety, especially on vulnerable road users like cyclists. Anything we can do for change will have a big impact on the climate,” says Nicholson.
Nicholson and his co-founder met in college in 2011. $500,000 to build an experimental car that is 50 times more efficient than a standard road vehicle. Obsessed with an entrepreneurial spirit, they founded Viva in 2015 with the aim of improving road safety and fighting climate collapse.
Since its inception, Viva has deployed over 3,500 sensors in seven countries. These sensors are capable of detecting nine different modes of transportation and have accumulated a staggering 20 billion road users. Its latest funding is aimed at supporting further growth.
Viva’s latest funding comes from sustainable infrastructure VC investor EnBW New Ventures (ENV), Sustainability-Driven Alternative Assets and Small Business Investment Manager foresight group and Gresham House Venturesa specialist alternative asset manager in the growth equity division Gresham HouseWith this funding, Viva says it is focused on continued growth with two specific goals:
The first is an internal expansion that includes the New York City collaboration. “We are already in over 100 UK cities and working with authorities across Australia and Europe to better understand our roads,” says Nicholson. “With our sensors in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, NYC DoT is now analyzing this data to prioritize projects in areas most in need of safety and other improvements.”
A second goal is to expand the Viva product line. “Our vision is for road transport infrastructure to become data-driven, including real-time systems such as traffic lights. Our new product portfolio targets products that address three key challenges facing the industry. It’s about road safety, sustainable transport, and optimizing networks to overcome congestion,” concludes Nicholson.
Nicholson has no doubts about how valuable the data collected by Viva is in making cities livable. “If you look back 10 to 20 years, other industries such as advertising, marketing, and retail have been revolutionized by data. I have.”
VivaCity’s sensors prioritize privacy and are relatively unobtrusive. Image credit: Vivacity
By collating large amounts of anonymized data, we can analyze how city roads work: how and when people move, and where bottlenecks and black spots are. . Ultimately, this could lead to safer streets and livable cities where citizens are not afraid to engage in active travel.
You may have noticed the emphasis on “anonymized data” here. The company told TechCrunch that privacy by design is fundamental to the company, and that keeping people’s data secure and confidential is critical to the company’s success.
“I strongly believe that the future of smart cities must be citizen-centric,” says Nicholson. “That is why we have designed a solution from the ground up that guarantees privacy for all citizens. The system has been developed using data protection by design principles and is fully GDPR compliant. “
