Deerfield approves Urban SDK traffic analytics contract to supplement speed monitoring

The Deerfield Board of Trustees on Aug. 18 approved a contract with Urban SDK, a traffic data and analytics provider, and waived formal competitive bidding. The village will pay a prorated 2025 fee of $8,921.25, to be charged to the police DUI fund.

Sergeant Brian Foster, who presented the proposal, described Urban SDK as a tool that draws aggregated vehicle‑movement and speed data from vehicle electronics sources (for example, vehicle telematics platforms) to provide near‑real‑time counts and speed distributions at specific locations. Foster said the analytics would let staff answer resident complaints more quickly — for example, pulling near‑real‑time speed and volume data for a specific block within a day rather than relying on speed‑board deployments that collect data over seven to ten days.

Foster said the service provides aggregated, non‑identifying data and does not supply vehicle identification numbers, license plates or driver identities. “We get no information from the vehicle, like, what type of vehicle it is, the VIN number, who is driving, no license plate,” he told the board. He and trustees discussed using exported reports publicly to show how the data informs selective enforcement and traffic‑safety grants.

Trustees asked about legal and privacy issues; staff said vehicle owners agreeing to telematics services may permit data sharing to third parties and that Urban SDK models and aggregates those feeds — the police department will not receive individually identifiable information. The board and staff discussed coordination with public works and engineering to use the data for roadway‑planning decisions as well as for targeted enforcement, and trustees asked staff to present public‑facing summaries showing where data indicate speed issues and planned enforcement.

The resolution to award the contract and waive bidding passed by roll call vote.