Mobilidata focuses on research into active mode road users
Mobilidata is a major, multifaceted program scheduled to run for five years. The program was set up to achieve three objectives: greater road safety; smoother traffic flows with better access; and, finally, fewer harmful effects on the environment caused by traffic.
To help achieve these objectives, the Mobilidata program is focused on active mode road users. In an ideal world, the use of cars needs to diminish while conversely the use of sustainable modes of transport will need to increase. Road users will have to be encouraged and supported in making this “modal shift” and Mobilidata aims to do precisely this by establishing a network in which smart, reliable data is able to circulate and be used. Active mode road users can then benefit from this data.
Communication runs in two directions within the network. Road users can use their smartphone or add-on device to transmit signals and communicate with the connected systems. The smart infrastructure to be developed by Mobilidata monitors the signals sent by road users and combines them with other real-time data. As a result, road infrastructure, such as traffic lights, will be able to respond better to the actual traffic needs of road users, including cyclists and pedestrians.
The Mobilidata program for these active mode road users is made up of two main parts: the deployment of existing technological solutions and the research and development part. R&D focuses on innovative mobility applications that provide better support for pedestrians and cyclists. And the common theme for the whole program is the real-time exchange of data.
The R&D side of the program is able to draw on the many innovative mobility projects already up and running in Europe and Mobilidata can base itself on the lessons learned from these projects. The use cases available are a good example of this as they are based on the C-Roads descriptions set out in various European projects. And when the Mobilidata architecture was being developed, best practices and working components were used that had previously demonstrated their value in other countries. Talking Traffic and NordicWay are two examples of similar successful programs used elsewhere. The big difference with these programs – and with Talking Traffic in particular – is that Mobilidata has concentrated specifically on applications for active mode road users from the beginning.
Much research is being conducted in the R&D segment of Mobilidata into new methods of providing assistance to active mode road users when they are actually out on the road. The ultimate goal of Mobilidata is not to expand the existing infrastructure, but to make it smarter. This will be done via a range of research programs:
- Helping the blind and visually impaired persons by installing Mobile accessible pedestrian signals at traffic lights.These auditory signals give them information about how much longer the traffic light will stay green for them.
- ‘Peloton Compagnon’ (Bicycle platoon ahead warning) is a branch of research within Mobilidata examining how large groups of cyclists or pedestrians can be made more visible for motorized traffic.
- Research into methods for organizing bicycle parking management more efficiently and conveniently, both for cyclists and for the bike park manager.
Curious to find out what else Mobilidata has up its sleeve? Then be sure to visit the website regularly.