The Manifesto
Five promises we can be held to.
Written down before launch, in public, so that breaking one is a thing you can point at.
A streetlight, not a siren.
Safety data is free, forever.
The ability to understand the walk home should not depend on the ability to pay. The public Lightmap, its sources, and walking-route comparisons are free to use.
Organizations may pay for an API, licensing, or support. That work funds a shared layer of information. It does not buy access to a better version of the truth.
Money never touches the map — no sponsored scores, no sponsored routes.
A place cannot purchase a warmer glow. A business cannot buy its way into your walk. Payment never changes a condition score, its confidence, or the order of route recommendations.
Every route comparison shows the trade-off: walking time, recorded lighting coverage, and open venues along the way. When both options follow the same streets, we say so.
How Aloka works with organizations →We map conditions, not people.
Working streetlights. Open storefronts. Clear sightlines. These are things a person can observe and another person can check.
Lanterns describe those conditions. They do not rate a community or describe someone’s appearance, identity, or right to be on a street. A dark patch means missing or limited evidence, never a verdict on a neighbourhood.
Read the community guidelines →We don't store your location history.
You can explore without an account. Location is requested only when you choose an action that needs it. A proximity check uses a one-time device position and discards it; the verification result is retained.
A Lantern retains the public place you choose, when you observed its conditions, and your answers. Your account has no public trail of contributions. Saved places and routes are private to you, and you can export or delete your account.
See exactly what is stored →When we don't know, the map says so.
Open data gives the map a beginning. Recent, corroborated Lanterns add context. Neither is a guarantee about what will happen on a street.
Confidence, freshness, and sources sit beside the glow. Sparse evidence stays visibly sparse. At least three distinct verified contributors are needed for a community cohort to appear, and conflicting reports can send an area for review.
Understand the glow and its limits →Hold us to it.
If something you see does not live up to these promises, tell the Aloka team.
alokamaps@gmail.com