Evidence over reassurance
A calm colour and the word "safe" feel kind, but they can be wrong. A level with its reasons and its confidence is more useful.
Our motive
A route should come with its reasons.
Why we are building Nayki, what we believe, and what we promise not to do.
Why Nayki exists
Maps tell you the fastest way. They rarely tell you what it is like.
Every day people choose how to get somewhere. They weigh the time against things a map does not show: whether the road is lit, whether anyone is around, whether help is close, what has been reported nearby, what time it is. They make those calls anyway, usually with less to go on than they need.
Nayki exists to put what is known, and what is not known, in front of the person who is choosing. It does not make the decision for you. It shows the routes side by side with the reasons behind each one, so you can decide with your eyes open.
We are building it in the open because a tool that talks about safety should be one anyone can read, check and improve.
What we believe
Four beliefs.
Say when we do not know
Gaps in the data are normal. Hiding them is the harm. Where there is no evidence, Nayki says "unavailable".
Open, so it can be checked
The rules that turn data into a risk level are in the source. Anyone can read them, question them and fix them.
Know less about people
Location is sensitive. We keep exact coordinates out of logs, group reports onto a grid, and support export and deletion.
Our promises
What we will not do.
- We will not call a route or place safe. Not in the app, the API or our writing.
- We will not invent a score. No data means no score.
- We will not pass off sample data as real. The app runs on sample data today, and we say so.
- We will not replace emergency services. Nayki is not one. In an emergency, call your local number.
- We will not hide the status. Prototype, simulated or real: we label which.
Where we are
Early, and honest about it.
Today there is an Android prototype and a backend in the same repository. They are not connected yet, and no city has real data behind them.
Done looks like this: in at least one city, a person can open Nayki, compare routes, and see real, sourced evidence for each, along with exactly how the level was worked out and where the gaps are.
Getting there takes people who build software and people who know how safety works on the ground. That is why the project is open.