10,000 volunteers with fitness trackers could reshape Calgary planning

The city is looking at funding a wearable technology project created at the University of Calgary with an eye on using the data to improve planning and transportation.

Council will discuss later this month giving $57,500 to the project.

As a part of the project, researchers at the U of C want 10,000 volunteers who use wearable devices, such as fitness watches, to deliver data gathered from their daily lives.

That data — which could include pulse rate, blood pressure and location — would be used for a variety of planning, research and engineering purposes.

Coun. Jyoti Gondek said the data gained from the project could lead to a better city.

"For me, this is about understanding how the city we've designed is working for the people that live in it," she said. "If there's improvements we can make to make people's everyday lives easier, we should be making those."

• University of Calgary launches wearable tech program as demand for graduates explodes

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the data could be used to help determine future infrastructure needs.

"What I am more interested in is getting a sense of how people are moving between communities and through communities," he said. "So that really helps us in our planning and our transportation planning going forward."

The university will start looking for volunteers early in 2020 if council approves the funding.