The idea behind 'Open Data Cam' was to create a free, easy to use platform for detecting objects in urban settings. Creating data through real time detections can change the way we make decisions and perceive our urban surroundings. With these tools at hand, it's up to you what you want to quantify. 'Open Data Cam' might help you automatically turning traffic into data or might even turn mobility into a game. Check out our use cases.
There are probably hundreds of uses for this (nefarious or otherwise). The difference with the RPi, though, is that Open Data Cam is designed to be home-built; the website contains full instructions of how to make one yourself.