WayCount is a platform for crowd-sourcing massive amounts of near real-time automobile and bicycle traffic data from a nodal network of inexpensive hardware devices.
For the first time ever, you can gather accurate volume, rate, and speed measurements of automobiles and bicycles, then easily upload and map the information to a central online database.
The WayCount device works like other traffic counters, but has two key differences: lower cost and open data. At 1/5th price of the least expensive comparable product, WayCount is affordable. The WayCount Data Uploader allows you to seamlessly upload and map your latest traffic count data, making it instantly available to anyone online.
Collectively, the WayCount user community has the potential to build a rich repository of traffic count data for bike paths, city alley ways, neighborhood streets, and busy boulevards from around the world. With a better understanding of automobile and bicycle ridership patterns, we can inform the design of better cities and towns.
The WayCount platform is an important addition to the process of measuring the impact of transportation design, and creating livable streets by adding bicycle lanes, public spaces, and developing smart transportation management systems. By creating open-data, we can increase governmental transparency, and provide constituencies with the essential data they need to advocate for rational and necessary improvements to the design, maintenance, and policy of transportation systems.
The hardware and software of the WayCount device and website were designed and engineered by Tomorrow Lab.
Electrical Engineering
Software Programming
Web Development
Product Design
Mechanical Engineering
WayCount allows a significant increase in the resolution of understanding traffic patterns.
Imagine a traffic count data point for every street intersection.
The WayCount device is available in ice blue and fluorescent orange.
The WayCount device fits in your hand and uses 25 feet of durable tubing to sense the presense of bicycles and automobiles that roll over the tube.
There are two switches: Mode and Power. Use the Mode switch to choose measurement of Automobiles or Bicycles. The mode sets the speed calculation and sensitivity threshold.
A built-in rechargeable battery powers the device, and a USB cable is used for recharging the battery and connecting it to your computer for data upload. Use the Data Uploader utility to seamlessly view, map, and share your traffic count results with others.
Wrap the tube around the body of the device for storage.
Step 1: The web-based data uploader seamlessly uploads the traffic count data stored on the traffic counter.
Step 2: A short context report allows the user to geo-tag the exact location of the traffic count, plus enter details of the count like weather and other anecdotes. 
After submission of the count, the traffic count is immediately available to you and everyone online. Everyone can benefit from access to the traffic counts from other users.
