To better serve the local cycling community, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) was awarded a $480,000 grant from Caltrans for a project to “train” artificial intelligence (AI) using data from OpenStreetMap.org, Google Street View, and local cyclist input to create updated, user-friendly bike maps county-wide. The project will be a collaboration between SBCAG, UC Santa Barbara, and Simon Frasier University.
With concerns about safety being the primary barrier for many potential cyclists, this initiative aims to create a more user-friendly and informative biking experience.
"The number one thing that keeps people from riding, or riding more, is safety concerns," said Trisalyn Nelson, UCSB Professor and Spatial Studies and Data Science Director.
According to Nelson, the current county bike maps are out of date and haven’t been updated in over a decade.
Nelson explains that the new approach to bike route mapping involves classifying all streets based on cyclist comfort levels: "comfortable," "very comfortable," or "uncomfortable".
To better understand which streets cyclists feel safe on, Nelson's team relies on a combination of advanced technologies, including crowdsourced data from OpenStreetMap, imagery from Google Street View, and input from local cyclists.
The use of AI will significantly speed up the mapping process.
"Rather than taking a year to create the first map, we’ll be able to update it in just a couple of weeks afterward," Nelson said.
However, the AI models require human input to ensure accuracy, so SBCAG is seeking applicants for a 12-member ad hoc working group designed to reflect real-world biking experiences.
"Whether someone bikes every day or just occasionally, we want input from everyone in the county to help feed and validate the AI model," explained Lauren Bianchi Klemann with SBCAG.
The group will collaborate with UCSB researchers three to four times over the next year, guiding the AI in evaluating factors like lane width, traffic speed, and traffic volume, ensuring real experiences match the data.
"The commitment is minimal, but it has a huge impact on our work," Klemann said. "We really need the real experiences of everyday residents who bike or want to bike in the county, and this will lead to a better outcome."
If you’re interested in being part of the ad hoc group in Santa Barbara County, you can apply to join the working group by visiting SBCAG’s website.
