Scout

Scout: The Dashcam App That Pays You to Improve Your City

Scout is a unique mobile application that transforms your daily commute into a rewarding civic mission. By using your smartphone as a dashcam, Scout passively captures road condition data, which it then uses to help cities identify and address infrastructure issues like potholes, signage problems, and traffic bottlenecks. Users of Scout are incentivized for their participation, earning points and rewards for every mile driven, effectively getting paid to contribute to the improvement of their community's roadways.

Passive Dashcam Recording During Drives

Scout operates by automatically starting a recording when it detects vehicle motion. Users simply mount their phone, launch the app, and begin their drive. The application uses the phone’s rear camera to continuously capture video footage of the road ahead. This hands-off, automated process requires no active input from the driver beyond initiating the trip, making Scout an effortless tool for data collection. The core function of Scout is to gather this visual information seamlessly in the background.

Automated Wi-Fi Data Upload and Processing

Once a drive is completed and the user connects to a Wi-Fi network, Scout intelligently processes the captured video. The app’s algorithms analyze the footage to identify and extract only the most valuable snippets related to road anomalies. Scout then uploads these compressed, data-rich clips, conserving mobile data and phone storage. This automated workflow ensures that the user’s contribution is sent for analysis without manual intervention, making the entire experience with Scout incredibly streamlined.

Earning Points and Rewardable Miles

The primary incentive for using Scout is its rewards system. Users accumulate points based on the duration and quality of their recorded drives, often referred to as "rewardable miles." These points are automatically credited to the user’s in-app account and can be redeemed for gift cards to popular retailers like Amazon, Starbucks, and Target. The more a user drives with Scout active, the more they earn, creating a direct correlation between contributing to civic data and receiving tangible benefits.

Competing on City and National Leaderboards

Scout incorporates a competitive element through its public leaderboards. Users can see how their contribution stacks up against other participants in their own city and across the nation. This gamification aspect, managed entirely within Scout, encourages consistent usage and fosters a sense of community among users who are all working towards the common goal of improving road safety. Climbing the ranks on Scout’s leaderboards can also unlock special achievement badges.

Trip History and Drive Summaries

Within the Scout app, users can review a comprehensive history of all their recorded trips. This section provides a summary for each drive, including the route taken on an interactive map, the total distance covered, the duration, and the number of points earned. This transparency allows users to track their contributions and earnings over time, offering a clear record of their activity and the impact they are making through Scout.

Identifying and Reporting Specific Road Issues

While largely automated, Scout also allows for manual engagement. If a user notices a significant road hazard, such as a major pothole or missing sign, they can use Scout to file a specific report. This involves tapping an icon within the app to tag the current location and optionally adding a voice note describing the issue. This manual report is then highlighted for city planners, adding a layer of direct user input to Scout’s automated data collection.