Announcing Mapbox Cities

Christina Franken
Mon, 26 Sep 2016 05:00:00 -0400

Mapbox Cities is a new mentorship program for cities that use data for urban challenges. To kick-off our new program, we are looking for three cities eager to gain smart insights for data-driven decision making.

More than 70% of the world’s population is expected to live in cities by 2050. Rapidly changing urban environments will need to become better at collecting data, analyzing it faster, sharing data more openly, and engaging all citizens in the process while balancing privacy and accessibility. Cities have to internalize how to work with data to make smarter, more sustainable decisions in the long run.

For example, NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) recently released final 2015 data on vehicle crashes in the United States and issued an unprecedented call to action asking for help analyzing fatality data to find ways to prevent these tragedies. We responded with a map to visualize where traffic fatalities happen during daily commutes. By combining various traffic-related datasets, cities could identify high-risk intersections for cyclists or pedestrians and then prioritize where road safety features need a design overhaul to meet Vision Zero goals.

Calling for cities to apply!

We are looking for three cities that need help working with data for tackling their most pressing issues - be it traffic safety, neighborhood health or accessibility, disaster preparation or response, infrastructure or alternative transport.

Are you working for a city
that is ready to take on their biggest challenge?
Apply now!

Any interested city will receive free Mapbox tools and support to kickstart their work with geodata. We will collaborate with the three selected cities to gather data for their particular needs, including Mapbox’s mobile sensor data, and create insightful data visualizations. As an open source company, we will do our best to mentor cities in using and generating open data and answer any questions that may arise regarding privacy.

We are excited to partner with cities to meet pressing urban challenges. Sign up for Mapbox Cities, and get in touch with me if you have any questions.