Why The Argument Over Ownership Of Mobility Data Is Both Silly And Essential

Originally published in Forbes on July 1, 2019

Climate change on-one hand...and data sharing, security and privacy on the other, may seem like problems that exist in distant worlds from each other, but let’s take a harder look. They are both existential threats to our way of life; physical destruction of our ecosystem, or cloud-based destabilization of our political system and polarization of populations (just to start).  In the world of transportation, small, electric vehicles could be a lifeline to lower CO2 emissions in our densest urban places, but data protocols and associated misunderstandings threaten to derail the scaling of these crucial solutions that would provide people with lower cost, sustainable transportation solutions from private sector companies, into publicly run cities.

Today, the U.S. Conference of Mayors will pass a resolution “Supporting the Development and Adoption of an Open Source, Mobility-Focused Platform for Management of Cities’ Public Right-of-Way,” or The Open Mobility Foundation and the Mobility Data Specification.

How did we get here?

When Google introduced Gmail 15 years ago, on April 1st, 2004, they started a data revolution; beta-testing and quickly proving that people would gladly trade access to their most personal information in exchange for very high quality, and free services. I am not judging btw, this was a brilliant bet and has changed the workplace in innumerable ways, spawning dozens of new verticals including social media and thousands of start-up businesses with free-to-consumer, ad-based and data monetization revenue streams, from Facebook to Waze.  What was not contemplated was the Pandora’s box of geolocational data + first-party and third-party data targeting, and in-app monetization (what apps in 2004??), the resulting data privacy issues, surreptitious breaches and uses of 3rd party data including the 2016 election fiasco… that would slowly take hold over the next two decades.

In 2019, we seem to take for granted that data produced by citizens, but on a private platform, is then “owned” by the company that grants access to the citizen and provides them a service. In the simplest of terms, in a moment of extreme, and wonderful innovation, Silicon Valley assumed ownership of a powerful asset. I don’t fault them for this, particularly when you are pioneering change in soon-to-be very competitive industries, and no one is really paying attention. It’s much like finding a new island and planting a flag and claiming ownership as countries did in days past. Having recognized that, and all of the unintended consequences in the last few years, it is now time for a new approach to “data stewardship” vs. “ownership, and as the EU’s GDPR shows, the time has come and industry, local and national governments and NGOs recognize this too.

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How Slow Lanes Can Speed Up New Mobility (And Save Lives)

Originally published in Forbes on December 4, 2018

Mobility is the word on everyone’s lips these days. I was in a number of large cities in the last month and have noticed that my conversations with local business leaders keep shifting towards discussions about the quality of and need for bike and pedestrian infrastructure. 10 years ago, I wouldn’t have expected CEOs to address these topics - they were strictly the purview of smallish, urban bike advocacy groups and of progressive leaders in cities like Portland and San Francisco. But now, even the corporate world can’t ignore the serious returns on investment that these upgrades can generate - both in terms of human health and in terms of capital.

But the topic of bike and pedestrian infrastructure didn’t enter the zeitgeist by accident. This past spring, cities across the country - Atlanta included - woke up to a new reality as hundreds of shared electric scooters seemingly blinked into existence on sidewalks, medians, and empty lots. The urban mobility landscape was transformed overnight.

As someone who’s been heavily engaged in this space for over two decades, it’s gratifying to finally see both companies and cities working to set the bar higher for alternative modes of urban transportation. But the newfound excitement around electric scooters and the infrastructure to accommodate them has also engendered a fair share of tension and friction. Cities are resistant to the “chaos” that seems to be accompanying the launch of shared scooter and bike systems. Some see the scooters in particular as a new danger to pedestrians, or as another unwanted intervention in our lives by Big Tech. But the truth is that these scooters are one piece of the puzzle in putting our society on a new, more sustainable trajectory.

Climate change is real, and it’s happening. This recognition must be accompanied by a sense of urgency in getting people out of cars and onto bikes, trains, buses, and everything in between. But cities have a legitimate mandate to reduce chaos and keep citizens safe as well.

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