7 ms·

Anybody have a link to the actual company? I also think they've missed the key use for this. Modelling traffic movements through a space. Many villages/residen

by awjr 9y ago

Anybody have a link to the actual company? I also think they've missed the key use for this. Modelling traffic movements through a space. Many villages/residential areas suffer from speeding and rat running, but getting a local authority to take you seriously or even get the local police to 'visit' the speeders and have a word is hard to make happen. Community speed watch using ANPR cameras to create an average speed monitored area is HUGE. Even working out people that are using the one way road systems incorrectly helps. This has huge application across multiple resident associations. To achieve this you need to be able to time synch, know the location of each camera, the shortest 'route' between each camera, and the ability to 'network' each camera. Where do I invest? Hell I have 16 residents associations that would bite your hands off to get their hands on a cheap traffic profiling system.

treehau5 9y ago
> but getting a local authority to take you seriously or even get the local police to 'visit' the speeders and have a word is hard to make happen. Interesting, this isn't my experience. I think this is a size issue. In major cities probably. Out here in the 'burbs, I call the police about a speeder, and there's an officer with a radar gun out within the hour. Speeding tickets are nice funding for the department. Add a reckless driving on there and you got a nice doozy. What happens more often than not though is you get two really annoying speed humps installed if enough calls about it come through.
- dazc 9y ago
  > Out here in the 'burbs, I call the police about a speeder, and there's an officer with a radar gun out within the hour. To get a police officer to come to you within the hour in the UK you would have to have reported a murder at the very least.
awjr 9y ago
Found them http://www.flocksafety.com/ http://www.flocksafety.com/
- executesorder66 9y ago
  Also discussed in this thread.[0] It's one of the startups from Y Combinator’s Summer 2017 round. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15070694 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15070694
- xkcd-sucks 9y ago
  Can you monetize license plate reads?
  - mrmondo 9y ago
    Yes especially when and how long people are parked for, couple that with face and/or financial tracking and you can target marketing to people or locations.
    - tankenmate 9y ago
      Or selling data to repo people / skip tracers. In fact a few of the larger companies that already exist do that and they share data between clients' ANPR (ALPR) devices on their repo / skip tracer work vehicles. The ACLU published a document about the privacy issues around this in 2013. [0] [0] https://www.aclu.org/issues/privacy-technology/location-tracking/you-are-being-tracked?redirect=alpr https://www.aclu.org/issues/privacy-technology/location-trac...
    - Gargoyle 9y ago
      Or private detectives stalking client's spouses. There's a lot of ugly directions for this technology.
  - to3m 9y ago
    People could bid to buy the info, and the car owner(s) could bid against them to keep the info secret?
tfnw 9y ago
First time I've heard of "rat running", but am having a hard time seeing the justification for the negative connotation. I can only see it as a more efficient use of the road system. Just because at some time in the past there was less traffic in your street doesn't mean it won't (or shouldn't) increase in the future. It seems to me that these residents associations are trying to push the problem of higher overall road use on to others that don't have such strong residents associations.
- PeachPlum 9y ago
  Rat running is from narrow UK streets, largely residential, being used as through roads rather than access to homes. The use of traffic aware GPS also encourages more traffic down these roads. You might think it as efficient but it changes the levels of safety for pedestrians which are usually parents & children at the time of day this is more prevalent.
  - tfnw 9y ago
    I don't think it is necessarily a worse overall outcome, even if the small streets become somewhat less safe. It could be that installing barriers at some of the more dangerous points is the most optimal solution?
    - dmoy 9y ago
      Blocking off certain streets is exactly what my hometown did. Make it so only certain roads go straight through, others have every third intersection blocked off
      - tfnw 9y ago
        I didn't mean barriers that prevent through traffic, I meant barriers that protect pedestrians.
        macNchz 9y ago
NKCSS 9y ago
Time sync would be the easiest I think, since you can use FM wave to get the time or even GPS
naeemtee 9y ago
I'm actually in the process of building exactly what you're describing and would love to chat. Would you mind shooting me an email? naeem.tee@gmail.com
garrettlangley 9y ago
awjr -- where are your associations? feel free to drop us a line -- sales [at] flocksafety.com

by awjr 9y ago

treehau5 9y ago

> but getting a local authority to take you seriously or even get the local police to 'visit' the speeders and have a word is hard to make happen. Interesting, this isn't my experience. I think this is a size issue. In major cities probably. Out here in the 'burbs, I call the police about a speeder, and there's an officer with a radar gun out within the hour. Speeding tickets are nice funding for the department. Add a reckless driving on there and you got a nice doozy. What happens more often than not though is you get two really annoying speed humps installed if enough calls about it come through.

dazc 9y ago
> Out here in the 'burbs, I call the police about a speeder, and there's an officer with a radar gun out within the hour. To get a police officer to come to you within the hour in the UK you would have to have reported a murder at the very least.

awjr 9y ago

Found them http://www.flocksafety.com/ http://www.flocksafety.com/

executesorder66 9y ago
Also discussed in this thread.[0] It's one of the startups from Y Combinator’s Summer 2017 round. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15070694 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15070694
xkcd-sucks 9y ago
Can you monetize license plate reads?
- mrmondo 9y ago
  Yes especially when and how long people are parked for, couple that with face and/or financial tracking and you can target marketing to people or locations.
  - tankenmate 9y ago
    Or selling data to repo people / skip tracers. In fact a few of the larger companies that already exist do that and they share data between clients' ANPR (ALPR) devices on their repo / skip tracer work vehicles. The ACLU published a document about the privacy issues around this in 2013. [0] [0] https://www.aclu.org/issues/privacy-technology/location-tracking/you-are-being-tracked?redirect=alpr https://www.aclu.org/issues/privacy-technology/location-trac...
  - Gargoyle 9y ago
    Or private detectives stalking client's spouses. There's a lot of ugly directions for this technology.
- to3m 9y ago
  People could bid to buy the info, and the car owner(s) could bid against them to keep the info secret?

tfnw 9y ago

First time I've heard of "rat running", but am having a hard time seeing the justification for the negative connotation. I can only see it as a more efficient use of the road system. Just because at some time in the past there was less traffic in your street doesn't mean it won't (or shouldn't) increase in the future. It seems to me that these residents associations are trying to push the problem of higher overall road use on to others that don't have such strong residents associations.

PeachPlum 9y ago
Rat running is from narrow UK streets, largely residential, being used as through roads rather than access to homes. The use of traffic aware GPS also encourages more traffic down these roads. You might think it as efficient but it changes the levels of safety for pedestrians which are usually parents & children at the time of day this is more prevalent.
- tfnw 9y ago
  I don't think it is necessarily a worse overall outcome, even if the small streets become somewhat less safe. It could be that installing barriers at some of the more dangerous points is the most optimal solution?
  - dmoy 9y ago
    Blocking off certain streets is exactly what my hometown did. Make it so only certain roads go straight through, others have every third intersection blocked off
    - tfnw 9y ago
      I didn't mean barriers that prevent through traffic, I meant barriers that protect pedestrians.
      - macNchz 9y ago

NKCSS 9y ago

Time sync would be the easiest I think, since you can use FM wave to get the time or even GPS

naeemtee 9y ago

I'm actually in the process of building exactly what you're describing and would love to chat. Would you mind shooting me an email? naeem.tee@gmail.com

garrettlangley 9y ago

awjr -- where are your associations? feel free to drop us a line -- sales [at] flocksafety.com