Forum Virium Helsinki and Service Map steered the pilot in spring 2024. Forum Virium Helsinki is an innovation company of the City of Helsinki. The pilot was carried out simultaneously in Helsinki and Tallinn.
The aim of the pilot was to find out whether information on accessibility could be collected from the street environment through crowdsourcing. In addition, the pilot investigated how information collected on accessibility can be displayed on the Service Map.
In the pilot, crowdsourcing was targeted at a small group of city residents. They have accessibility needs and they have participated in both the workshops and the collection of information itself.
They used a mobile game called Crowdsorsa, which can be used to collect various kinds of information through crowdsourcing with photos and videos. Crowdsorsa players get money by playing the game. Crowdsourcing means involving people, for example, by gathering information on something together.
Data was collected from a limited game area in the areas of Kalasatama, Sörnäinen, Hakaniemi and Kallio. Pictures were taken of pedestrian crossings, pedestrian walkways and sound beacons.
Crowdsourcing enables citizens to participate in data collection
The pilot team has included Riesa Consultative Oy, a consulting company focusing on promoting accessibility. After the data collection, Riesa's accessibility experts examined the realisation of accessibility and possible deviations from the images.
The collected data could not be directly used to produce accessibility information on the Service Map, but some photos could be used to support existing information. Information on deviations can be used to produce a fault list as a repair list and thereby develop accessibility.
The pilot strengthened the understanding that there is a clear need for accessibility information in the street environment and that the information must be reliable and up-to-date.
With the pilot, it can be concluded that information on the current state of accessibility in the street environment can be collected through crowdsourcing. In the future, we will see what all that information can be used for. Crowdsourcing is a cost-effective data collection method and enables citizens to participate in data collection.