A team of designers, urbanists and engineers, in a project known as Designing Chicago, have partnered to create a mobile transit application that would be able to pull data on anything from intermodal trips to latte locations, all with the swipe of a finger. This globally based team, working from the Chicago-based innovation consultancy Greater Good Studio, has already raised $15,892 on Kickstarter to make the app a reality.

Not only will the app be funded by the public, but it will also be designed by the public. The team is now calling on regular citizens to become “Urban Scouts,” in-the-field team members who gather information and ideas to help inform the app’s design, or “Urban Icons,” local team members who work closely with the project team to attend hands-on workshops to learn about social innovation. Watch the video to learn more:

Designing Chicago is part of an international wave of  mobile transit app development for the greater good. Code for America (CfA), a San Francisco-based nonprofit, accepts new fellows every year to activate data and design to solve civic engagement and transit data debacles.

REROUTE.IT is one such app that shows users comparisons of cost, health impacts, emissions and distances for a given trip. You can calculate your impact— from calories burned to timed saved—by clicking here.

From rickshaw fare calculators in India, to online car sharing and transit ticketing services in the United States, mobile apps have been integral in providing new ways to integrate modern technology into sustainable transport.