Dero ZAP coming to Decorah, Luther College

DECORAH — A Luther College student is working with Decorah leaders to set up an electronic tracking system designed to incentivize cycling and walking as a way to get around, in the name of fitness and sustainability.

Jamison Ash, 22, a part-time student and an intern in Luther's Nena Amundson Lifetime Wellness Program, has been leading the push to install Dero ZAP, a system that syncs a chip on a bike tire or a book bag with monitors at locations around campus and the community. Each time the user passes the monitor, the trip is logged.

'It's a good place to try it out because we have an atmosphere that supports cycling here in Decorah and on Luther campus,' Ash said.

Decorah would be the first city in Iowa to have Dero ZAP, which began in Minneapolis and is used across the Twin Cities, in 11 states and The Netherlands.

Dero ZAP is designed to reward those with active lifestyles, encourage others to become active and get better data to grow bike commuting. Incentives might include 'chamber bucks' or gift certificates based on the number of trips a person logs, Ash said.

Ash made a presentation to Decorah City Council on Monday to explain more about Dero ZAP, get feedback on where to locate the monitors, and to ensure compliance with city rules.

The hope is to have it running in four locations, including some on campus and some in town, by the spring, he said.

Decorah City Administrator Chad Bird said city staff are supportive, and it fits well with other wellness initiatives, such as healthy menus at local restaurants and new bike trails.

Dero ZAP is marketed toward biking, but there's interest in promoting walking as well, Bird and Ash said.

Dero was formed in Minneapolis in 1995 by two brothers who created new designs for bike racks. The ZAP program came along in 2008 after the University of Minnesota approached the company about developing a system to verify and log bike trips by staff and faculty to reward them with health insurance credits, according to the company's marketing director Bri Whitcraft.

Greg Lonning, director of the Luther Wellness Program, said the system would fit with a campus where many already cycle, there is a bike rental program and a new 12-mile trail loop around the city. He said they could learn more about where students most bike, and they could encourage more faculty and staff to bike or walk to work.

Dero ZAP would be open to students, faculty and staff as well as others in the Decorah area.

Ash said the system is designed to only capture certain types of data so people don't feel as though their privacy is being invaded.

He said many Luther students don't learn about the amenities of Decorah until later in their college career, and this system could push them to explore the area sooner.

'We call it the Luther bubble,' Ash said. 'We'd like to see if there are ways to optimize students utilizing resources downtown. For many students it's not until they get to later in school, and they realize, 'Wow, there's a lot of things down here, parks and businesses.' I want to promote students getting out there on their bike and seeing what Decorah has to offer.'

l Comments: (319) 339-3177; brian.morelli@thegazette.com