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Council hears presentation on Urban SDK traffic-monitoring tool
Summary
Public Works and Urban SDK demonstrated a near-real-time traffic analytics platform the city is using to monitor speeds, volumes and safety scores; staff said the data (two-day delay for QA, up to five years archived) helps prioritize enforcement and capital projects.
Public Works presented a traffic-monitoring platform from Urban SDK that staff said is already in use to track speeds, congestion, volumes and a collision index down to every roadway within the city. Michael James, director of Public Works, introduced the vendor and said the tool helps staff quickly determine whether constituent complaints reflect real safety or congestion problems.
The vendor, Micah Dickman, vice president of revenue at Urban SDK, described the platform’s capabilities: near-real-time 15-minute aggregates delivered on a two-day delay for QA/QC, up to five years of archived data available (13 months backfill on install), speed and volume breakdowns, a safety score derived from five years of collision data, and GIS integration so the city can overlay school zones, crash data and other shapefiles. "We give you the ability to see every day where are our highest rates of speed, where are our most dangerous congested areas," Dickman said.
Council members asked about data sources and how this product differs from commercial foot-traffic datasets. Dickman said the system is focused on traffic analytics for engineering and operational needs rather than retail site-selection; he said Placer.ai provides some traffic metrics for economic development but does not deliver the same engineering-ready, near-real-time format. He also said the data are delivered in 15-minute aggregates, are updated daily with a two-day operational delay for scaling and QA, and that the city’s installation currently contains roughly 19 months of compiled data.
City staff emphasized practical uses: the tool can speed responses to public complaints (reducing multiweek manual data collection), evaluate whether traffic-calming or enforcement produced the intended result, and help prioritize capital investments. Michael James said the system does not itself produce engineering reports but supplies the data city engineers and police can interpret and present to the council.
Council and staff discussed GIS and data export: Dickman said Urban SDK can accept the city’s shapefiles, overlay school zones or crash records and push data via an API integration. No formal action was taken; staff said they will continue to use the platform and bring interpreted findings or proposals for changes before the council when needed.
The presentation closed after questions and the council invited public comment; no in-room commenters addressed the item.
