Mobility Lab Helsinki is seeking ten volunteers to test street traffic sensors at home

While counting traffic volumes is not a solution in itself, up-to-date and improved data can facilitate more sustainable and human-oriented solutions to support planning and decision-making. Ultimately, these solutions can improve the quality of life in cities and promote sustainable mobility.

What is Telraam and how do you install it?

The Mobility Lab Helsinki project studies various new ways of collecting data about the volume, proportion and speed of various modes of transport in Helsinki in 2024. For this purpose, Telraam represents a new crowd-sourced way of calculating the number of street users and recognising the proportions of various modes of transport.

The Telraam sensor is a device the size of a deck of cards. It is installed at home on the inside of a window, close to the middle of the glass. The device works with a USB-C cable and a power source that can be plugged into a socket. 

After a brief registration process, the device starts counting and categorising everyone moving on the street, offering anonymised data by mode of transport and direction in segments of 15 minutes.

Telraam uses trained artificial intelligence (AI) and its own monitoring algorithm for recognition, categorisation and counting. The device will not record or send recognisable images or videos. The street users detected are categorised directly in the device, after which the device only sends an aggregated total from a period of 15 minutes to the database.

We are looking for volunteers in Helsinki to test the device! 

We are now looking for 10 adult volunteers from the Kokeilujoukot group to test the Telraam sensors in their homes. 

If you would like to test the device, you should live on the first floor, and your home should have a clear view of the street out of the window.

The device does not require maintenance after installation, so you can leave it on the window as it is until the end of the trial. Choose the location at the window so that the device will not disturb you.

We will select the volunteer testers in the order of registration. We will reward the volunteers selected to the trial with cinema tickets at the end of the trial period.

You can find examples of suitable views here: https://telraam.helpspace-docs.io/article/3/requirements-for-the-installation-of-a-telraam-in-my-window

Requirements for the window / street view: 

1. Floor: The window is preferably on the first floor (+1). The minimum height from the ground is 3 metres. Preferably higher.
2. The maximum distance from the window to the street is about 15 metres.
3. Minimum distance: Your Telraam is not too close to the road. “Too close” means that vehicles the size of a van (and larger) cannot fit into the camera’s field of view. This can be the case, for example, on one-way streets where there is no footpath on either side, e.g. a street narrower than 5 metres.
4. Clear view: no trees or shrubs that block the field of vision.
5. No junction directly in front of the window.
6. No stationary traffic in the camera image. Avoid locations where traffic is completely stationary for more than 30 seconds, especially near traffic lights or busy junctions.
7. The window should be perpendicular to the street, not at an angle.
8. A socket close to the window, as the Telraam needs power.

The measurement period will start on 12 June with an event for the participants where we will show how to install the sensor. We will also hand out the Telraam devices at the event.

The Telraam trial will end on 14 August, right after school holidays end. We will pick up the devices from your home at the end of the trial. We hope that we can record a short 15-minute video (without audio) out of your window facing the street when we are picking up the device. This is to verify the device’s accuracy. 

How to install Telraam?

Telraam installation instructions in English: https://telraam.helpspace-docs.io/category/9/installing-telraam-s2

We will go through the installation step by step at the event on 12 June. More information about the event is available below.

What will happen next?

Please contact Matias or Jussi about your participation in the Telraam trial. You can find their contact information at the end of this message. Please mention in your message which street your window faces. Please do not share your exact address.

We will organise a brief event for receiving instructions and picking up the devices on 12 June at 16.00–18.00 in Central Library Oodi: Group room 4 (2nd floor), Töölönlahdenkatu 4, 00100 Helsinki.