Traffic congestion is a huge problem in our cities. Our new project SMART focuses on how new technologies can help create more effective traffic planning, with focus on public transport. Our project partners include Savantic, Bumbee Labs, Telenor, Ramboll and RISE.
SMART is short for Spatial Modelling Analytics & Real-time Tracking, and its objective is to mitigate growing traffic congestion challenges and associated issues of environmental degradation, economic inefficiency and negative impacts to the quality of life of citizens.
It is the combination of datasets that makes the SMART project stand out. With focus on public transport, data will be collected from many different sources, including vehicle data and anonymized mobile and wifi data from smartphones. The combined data will in turn create possibilities for new types of services and applications, leveraging possibilities for a better overview of public transport, route suggestions and bus fleet analysis.
– Today, the vast majority of data about the use of public transport is collected by surveys or manual counting. With the help of our partner’s advanced technologies, and through development of a common platform, we aim to create the right conditions for a much more effective transportation system, says Sara Nozkova, Mobility Lead at Urban ICT Arena.
The project is based on a need among traffic authorities to get data on the entire journey (including car, bicycle, etc.) and not merely data about transports in own systems (eg buses). Today, there are no initiative which offers access to this combination of data for traffic planning. SMART is a unique project to create a database with comprehensive information about all movements.
Transport hubs in Kista as use cases
The project will have a partial focus on large transportation hubs in the Kista area – the bus terminal and Helenelund station. Both stations have large volumes of commuters and will serve as a testing ground.
The project will also look at how data can be used in conjunction with the current and future pandemics. By showing which buses, subways and trains are more populated, it will be easier for the traveler to commute earlier or later, choose another route or mode of transport, or as a base to assess whether or not to undertake a trip at a particular time.
The project will continue until late 2022. To read more about SMART, visit our project page.
