See.Sense Dott London E-Scooter Trial 

See.Sense data insights support cities in improving conditions for micromobilty. A recent report from POLIS about data sharing from micro-mobility found that many cities consider that there is a gap in the data shared regarding risk, enforcement, and adaptation of infrastructure and its maintenance. There is also limited data about collisions and their causes. See.Sense is stepping into this gap, providing data insights that address the needs of cities.

By utilising See.Sense data insights, micromobility fleet operators can enable cities to more effectively and efficiently build the infrastructure that will ultimately contribute to the success of their scheme. In addition to providing innovation differentiation in micromobility tenders, our data can also help the fleet operators achieve operational efficiencies by detecting theft, identifying collisions, determining unsafe or reckless riding, and pinpointing pavement riding. 

In 2021, See.Sense partnered with Dott on an innovative project during the London e-scooter trials, using our patented technology to look at rider safety and the safety of other road users. 

The trial had two main objectives. Firstly, to identify extreme braking and swerving events from e-scooters, which would be indicative of potential collision areas, and secondly, to assess the feasibility of using road surface sensor data to detect footpath riding. 

Dott’s London scooters were fitted with See.Sense SUMMIT (Sensor Unlocked Micro-mobility Insight Technology) devices. These SUMMIT trackers utilised our patented AI-sensor technology to monitor the rider’s environment up to 800 times per second, enabling situational awareness around the rider. This enabled us to gather granular insights into the experience of the rider, including how rough or smooth the surfaces are they travel over, as well as detailed telemetry including braking, swerving, and speed.

The data collected over the duration of the ten week trial covered 1,800 rides and a total distance of more than 3,300km, recording over 18 million sensor readings. This data provided powerful insights into road infrastructure in London, and yielded several successful results: 

• Through the data collected over the trial we were able to successfully identify areas with particularly high levels of e-scooter braking or swerving. Similarly to our findings with bikes, we found that hot-spots of high swerving and braking were potentially indicative of an increased risk of collisions. 
• Changes in road surface were detected and areas possessing particularly poor road surface conditions identified. In many cases, our data displayed that areas with poor road surface conditions also witnessed high levels of braking and swerving.
• Hot-spots locations of braking and swerving, as well as areas with poor road surface conditions, were consequently shared with local authorities to suggest improvements in infrastructure and road quality. 
• Using the data collected, See.Sense expert analysts could consistently distinguish between scooters riding on the road, cycle path or footpath, based on road surface characteristics. 
• This understanding of when riders were using footpaths was utilised to serve as an indicator of a poor quality road surface or potential rider behaviour faults, allowing Dott to prompt e-learning modules, revise speed limits when the change in surface is detected, or further investigate unsafe riding.

Upon completion, the trial received a positive response from TfL and was subject to widespread press coverage. The project was also featured at the POLIS conference in Gothenburg, Sweden in December 2021. 

Max Romain, Chief Operations Officer of Dott, stated,

‘Quality infrastructure is key to helping users of micro-mobility feel safe whilst on the road. The results of this new trial, in partnership with See.Sense, reveal that Dott’s vehicles can do more than provide efficient, reliable and sustainable transport for its riders - they can also deliver valuable learnings to create smart cities which are safer and more pleasant for all residents.’

Shared mobility fleet operators face many challenges in managing the user experience including the safety of its customers and other road users. See.Sense technology can make this easier. Our SUMMIT tracker seamlessly integrates into bike share schemes, sending data over LPWA networks to offer state of the art data collection. With near-real-time GPS tracking, accurate positioning and alerts, connection over a wider area (even through walls), low battery drain, and rider movements and road surfacing, we offer state of the art tracking. In addition, the patented See.Sense technology inside generates sensor data to help you reduce operating costs, plan for dock expansion and share data back to cities to improve bike infrastructure and monitor safety.

To find out how See.Sense technology and data services can help with reviewing rider safety in fleets please email  team@seesense.cc and a member of our team will be in touch.