Data and Advocacy for Transforming Active Riding & Infrastructure for a Democratic Environment - DATA-RIDE
DATA-RIDE is a policy-driven citizen science project based on the open-source senseBox:bike platform, combining multiple data sources to support evidence-based advocacy and policy recommendations for safer urban cycling.
DATA-RIDE is a policy-oriented citizen science project that aims to strengthen democratic decision-making around cycling infrastructure by connecting citizen-generated data, advocacy, and public policy. The project focuses on how data produced by cyclists can be translated into policy recommendations and advocacy strategies that support safer and more equitable cities.
The project explores how diverse forms of mobility data can be used to support advocacy processes and transform citizen-generated evidence into policy proposals for safer and more inclusive streets. As part of this experimentation, the open-source senseBox:bike platform, an open-source bicycle device to collect urban mobility and environmental data, will be extended with an additional lateral distance sensor. DATA-RIDE investigates how multiple data layers can be combined and interpreted to inform discussions on cycling safety, street design, and infrastructure quality.
The technology development is followed by local workshops with diverse stakeholders to collectively interpret the data and co-develop an advocacy toolkit and policy brief. These activities aim to engage citizens, cycling organisations, and civil society actors in pushing local actions using evidence and structured arguments. DATA-RIDE positions technology as an enabling layer for policy change, embedding citizen-generated data directly into processes of urban governance and public debate.
About
-
Team Biography
The DATA-RIDE team is a multidisciplinary group combining participatory design, civic technology, community mobilisation, and international knowledge exchange. The team brings together designers, technologists, urbanists, and local actors to connect citizen-generated data with advocacy and public policy, including Artur Kim, Laura Sobral, and Ricardo Ruiz among its core contributors. Artur Kim represents a multidisciplinary team at re:edu, bridging technology and data interpretation; Laura Sobral leads advocacy strategy development and facilitates workshops to co-create policy recommendations; and Global Innovation Gathering (GIG), represented by Ricardo Ruiz, supports dissemination and knowledge transfer across international contexts. The LAUDS local team ensures strong connections with citizens and local administrations, enabling lasting local impact.
-
Team member list
- Artur Kim Shum, re:edu;
- Laura Sobral,
- Ricardo Ruiz, GIG.
-
Useful links
-
Artur Kim Shum Biography
Artur Kim Shum is an innovation designer and project coordinator working with collective intelligence and user-centred design methods across diverse urban contexts. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning and Architecture from the University of São Paulo and a Master’s degree in Design and Computation from the University of the Arts Berlin (UdK). His expertise combines design, data visualisation, and public policy, bridging technical and social dimensions of urban innovation. He works with re:edu on open-source projects, facilitating data-driven workshops for diverse stakeholders and developing digital tools for citizen participation.
-
Laura Sobral Biography
Laura Sobral is an urbanist working at the intersection of participatory governance, public space, and civic innovation across European and Latin American contexts. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Urban Planning and a Master’s degree in Social Foundations of Urbanism from the University of São Paulo, and is currently completing a binational PhD in Urban Studies at ISCTE–University Institute of Lisbon and TU Wien. Her expertise combines creative participatory design with local actors and public administrations, co-governance frameworks, and policy-oriented research, bridging academic inquiry with community-based practice. She co-founded The City Needs You Institute and A GRUPA.
-
Ricardo Ruiz Biography
Ricardo Ruiz is a Brazilian researcher, lecturer and consultant on innovation and sociopolitical inclusion, holding 20 years of experience in developing projects on the intersection of digital tools and human rights in the governmental sector, development cooperation, and academia. He is the International Executive Director at Global Innovation Gathering – a vibrant, diverse community of innovation hubs, makerspaces, hackerspaces, and other grassroots innovation community initiatives worldwide – and a Lecturer at Pontifical Catholic University - Recife/Brazil.
