At this very moment, a technological solution that identifies transport modes is helping residents of Lahti reduce their carbon footprint. The solution, developed by the startup Moprim, is being used in CitiCAP, a project carried out by the city of Lahti where residents of the city can monitor in real-time the carbon dioxide emissions generated by their mobility.
The data is processed and analysed in Moprim's cloud service. To users, it is displayed through a mobile application, in which the daily emissions of cars and public transport can be monitored. Users are simultaneously encouraged to move by foot and bicycle. Soon, the use of low-emission transport modes can be rewarded with virtual currency (link in Finnish only).
The goal of the residents of Lahti is not only to reduce traffic emissions but also to compile and share electronic data on mobility and develop new traffic services.
"We are increasing people's awareness of their mobility-related decisions and carbon footprint. It's already steering the opinions of individual citizens and decision-makers towards a more environmentally friendly direction," says Petri Martikainen, chair of the board at Moprim.
Individual privacy safeguarded
Moprim's technology is based on algorithms that model movement. In addition to transport modes, they will in the future identify the quality of individual modes through questions on, for example, how individuals are driving their cars. Data is collected with the help of mobility-sensing sensors that are part and parcel of smart devices.
"Practically all of us are carrying a smartphone with us all of the time, which makes it possible to effectively observe people's movement with various vehicles in the urban environment," Martikainen explains.
He points out that the privacy of users has been ensured. For example, GPS tracking is not needed for identifying transport modes.
"All data are processed in anonymised form. Individuals or their movement cannot be deduced from the data, and nobody's personal data are processed in the cloud," says Martikainen.
Internationalisation progresses
Martikainen believes that after four years in operation, Moprim's product is getting to the stage where its use will be easy to expand.
"The city of Lahti is a prime example. We have already carried out a number of projects related to urban mobility. Companies too have expressed interest in utilising trip chains in urban planning," Martikainen adds.
In summer 2019, Moprim won the Bright Ideas Challenge organised by Ramboll. In the autumn, Moprim and the city of Lahti were presented the Smart Mobility Award at GITEX Technology Week in Dubai.
"I think dense housing, urban development and a mobile way of life will further increase the demand for various mobility-related services," Martikainen states.
