The four-person team, which ultimately took third place in the Social Impact category, was made up of students of the Faculty of Electronics and Information Technology of the Warsaw University of Technology: Maciej Leszek (Internet-of-Things engineering), Aleksander Samek and Witold Pietroń (automation and robotics), as well as Michał Oręziak from the Military University of Technology.

The students wanted to encourage Berliners to choose a bicycle or carpooling more often when moving around the city, e.g. on their way to work. The proposed solution is based on a loyalty program.

– We have created the ecommute application, which aims to reduce pollutant emissions by promoting carpooling and bike rental in Berlin – says Maciej Leszek.

The solution allows users to rent bicycles and offer carpooling to other residents of their area. In this way, they earn points that can be exchanged for rewards.

– In addition, the application collects data on pollutant emissions and road traffic, which is then used to estimate the reduction of PM10 particulate matter emissions. Our own AI model helps with this – adds Maciej Leszek.

The Data4Good hackathon, which took place from 19 to 21 April 2024, was organised by the Hertie School in Berlin.