Designing a Cycling Dashboard as a Way of Communicating Local Sustainability

Abstract

This paper conceptualizes the use of interactive urban dashboards in collecting and visualizing sustainability indicators at local scales through a cycling dashboard prototype for Münster. Urban dashboards are integrated platforms that bring various data types and sources together and automatize the visualization of information in real time. They can function as information hubs that work with mobile applications, sensor-based data, and crowdsourced platforms. Visualization of information can present both map-based data, text, and graphical information. In this study, a cycling dashboard is introduced that is developed as a prototype. The dashboard is based on the sustainability indicators related to cycling infrastructure defined by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB). It retrieves crowdsourced open data from Open Street Map (OSM) and automatically updates the information when new data are entered into the platform. This enables detailed exploration of the geo-referenced information up to street level and comparisons between different districts. In order to achieve a comprehensive framework, four main steps were included into the design and development process “determining a content by integrating future users, creating and evaluating a data inventory, designing the architecture of the dashboard, and implementing the prototype ”. As a result, this study holistically draws a comprehensive framework for the urban cycling dashboard around three main modules focusing on the sustainability of cycling infrastructure “infrastructure guide, cyclists’ voice, and idea center”. Additionally, the first prototype of an open local cycling dashboard has been implemented. The prototype enables the automation of collection, analysis, visualisation, and deep exploration of sustainability-related data at local scales. The results of this study contribute to the status quo by supporting the design and development process of local urban dashboards through a participatory approach.