Developers from all over the country can now apply for the Brazilian stage of the “Innovate Mobility Challenge” global program. The São Paulo Mobility Challenge aims to encourage the creation of applications that favor integration in the use of cars and public transport in the largest metropolis in the country. Entries can be made through the ChallengePost website (http://saopaulo-national.challengepost.com/) and run until September 8.
For the top three, there will be, respectively, the prizes of R$ 30 thousand, R$ 20 thousand and R$ 7 thousand. To participate in the São Paulo Mobility Challenge, you must be at least 18 years old and resident in the country. The contest is also open to organizations. In addition to the app, along with the registration, you must present a video that demonstrates its main features and features.
Applications will be selected by a jury made up of experts in the field and there will also be an election by popular vote, which will give the winner an additional prize of R$ 2 thousand. As selection criteria, the quality of the idea will be considered, mainly creativity and originality, the implementation of the project and potential for impact.
“With the São Paulo Mobility Challenge, Ford is bringing to Brazil the strategy that will help us create the urban transport of the future. It is part of the company's vision to be not only a car manufacturer, but also a mobility company, creating new experiences and business models in the sector,” says Rogelio Golfarb, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Ford South America.
Ford's proposal is to advance the discussion of mobility, learn about the evolution of habits and trends of transport users and develop new solutions using intelligent systems and connectivity technologies. With the “Innovate Mobility Challenge”, the company has invited innovators and developers to create solutions for specific mobility challenges in major cities around the world, such as London, Lisbon, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Mumbai and Johannesburg.
open source platform
To help developers participating in the São Paulo Mobility Challenge, the automaker offers OpenXC Enabler, an open source research platform simulator that enables the collection of vehicle data for the development of hardware and software solutions to improve the mobility experience.
Developed by researchers at Ford, OpenXC is a modem that, connected to the vehicle's diagnostic connector, collects information such as average speed, braking data, fuel consumption, temperature, among others, and sends them to an application that can be installed on devices such as tablets and smartphones, for example. This transmission takes place via Bluetooth, and, through its own API (Application Programming Interface), developers can enjoy and create a new application concept with data generated in real time by Ford cars.
Challenge participants can use a platform simulator to develop their applications for the contest. For this, it is necessary to download OpenXC Enabler through Google Play, for example, and the desired Vehicle Traces Files – which are files with the car simulation data – and connect them via API. Downloads, information and tutorials can be found at http://openxcplatform.com/.
“Let's assume that the platform reads that ten cars in the same region have the windshield wipers on and that the outside temperature is relatively low. This may indicate that it is raining there. This information can feed a map and guide the driver not to go through that route that, due to the rain, will possibly be congested, directing him to another path”, explains David Borges, Connectivity Solutions supervisor for Ford South America and one of the challenge judges.
Ford's objective is to provide the developer community with access to this vehicle information, which is currently used by the automaker in the creation of products, projects and solutions. The developer has the option of choosing to use them in the creation of the application, connecting them to public transport data, favoring intermodal urban mobility.
With around 12 million inhabitants and 8 million vehicles, São Paulo is today one of more than 25 global megacities that face the challenge of offering efficient and sustainable means of transport. The expectation for 2030 is that there will be 40 megacities in the world.
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