Considered one of the most important events in Europe to advance technology in the EU, ICT 2018 proudly showcased the latest in high-tech transportation software and innovation among its wide array of fields and topics. TransformingTransport (TT) was excited to participate in the event, which took place in Vienna from 4-6 December, highlighting the latest results of its ambitious pilot cases which are expected to radically transform transport operation through Big Data use.
TT is the Horizon 2020 Big Data Value Lighthouse project that represents a strong consortium of 48 organisations from 9 countries and aims to show concrete, measurable and verifiable evidence of data value that can be achieved in mobility and logistics by leveraging big data. The RID department of the INTRASOFT International, as the TT Impact Coordinator, is responsible for coordinating dissemination and promotion activities of the whole project, bringing in its knowledge and experience of previous such activities on the EU level. The RID department played an important role in organising the TT sound participation at the ICT 2018.
TT was honoured by visits from high-level personalities, including Claire Bury, Deputy Director-General DG CONECT of the European Commission, Ingolf Schädler, Deputy Director-General of the Austrian Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology, as well as Gail Kent, Director of Directorate “G” Data, DG CONECT of the European Commission. These and other key stakeholders were keen to learn about the different pilot projects and what they mean to the future of transport in Europe. In particular, 4 of TTs 13 pilots demonstrated their most ground-breaking results at the event.
The Smart Passenger Flow pilot revealed how airports can predict aircraft delays, improve transfer times, improve day-to-day airport operations and even enhance commercial activity and the airport. In parallel, TT’s Smart Turnaround ETA Prediction pilot underlined how it can improve aircraft turnaround time, which in turn minimises operation costs and increases passenger satisfaction.
The third pilot, Shared Logistics for e-Commerce, demonstrated to visitors at the event how Big Data can upgrade e-commerce logistics practices. It specifically showed how analysing Big Data can support all stakeholders in the logistics supply chain, from shipping companies and warehouses to online retailers and final consumers. Alternative shipping options that could bring many benefits to e-commerce were also discussed.
In the area of road transport, the Load Balancing Pilot – Norte Litoral showed how analysing Big Data is already optimising highway operation on the Norte Litoral highway in Portugal. The pilot team displayed advanced Distributed Acoustic Sensing technology and equipment (so far used only in the rail sector) at the exhibition booth, demonstrating how existing optical fibre buried along the highway can detect road vibrations and identify traffic-related incidents.
All the newly showcased technologies and software solutions from the four pilot projects generated a significant amount of interest at the booth, highlighting what the future of more efficient sustainable transport will look like.
In the morning of the second day of the conference, TT participated in a key networking session entitled Impact of the Data-Driven AI in business sectors. The project coordinator, Mr Rodrigo Castineira (INDRA) presented the latest results emerging from the project, its innovations and solutions, which are set to improve European transport on multiple levels.
More information about TT and its most recent results can be obtained by visiting https://transformingtransport.eu/.
Author: Dariya Rublova.