The Company: Technology for Accessible Urban Navigation
This accessibility-focused tech company is on a mission to map pedestrian pathways for individuals with disabilities. Co-founded by someone with lived experience, the company uses mobile telemetry devices to scan sidewalks and curbs for obstructions and tripping hazards, aiming to create ADA-compliant routing guidance akin to a “Google Maps for accessibility.” With over 3,000 miles of sidewalks mapped and more than 50,000 hazards identified, the team is building smarter, safer cities for everyone.
The Challenge: Automate a Manual, Research-Oriented Analysis Pipeline
As the company transitioned from a research-driven startup to a customer-facing tech platform, it struggled to scale a data analysis pipeline that relied heavily on manual processes and licensed software. To meet growing demand, they needed to automate their analysis workflow and achieve three primary objectives:
- Port core analysis algorithms to an open, flexible tech stack
- Eliminate reliance on expensive third-party licensing
- Enable scalable, automated processing of new sidewalk data
The Solution: Automated Python-Based Pipeline with Scalable Dashboard Interface
IQ Inc redesigned the client’s analysis pipeline from the ground up. We began by selecting a Python-based stack that matched their performance and compatibility needs, then rewrote the original codebase module by module, eliminating bugs and doubling data processing throughput. To automate data handling, we integrated Dagster as a workflow orchestration tool and configured the pipeline to trigger automatically with each new data capture.
To support customer engagement, we developed a React-based dashboard that surfaces insights via GraphQL and REST APIs from Dagster and ArcGIS. The result is a faster, fully automated system that positions the company to scale its mission, deliver real-time insights to clients, and continue improving urban accessibility at a national level.