The systematic collection and integration of information from all traffic and transport modes in urban areas has started more than 20 years ago. Today the most advanced cities have traffic management centres providing a real time traffic picture of the main traffic flows and a detailed monitoring for detection of incidents and disruptions. Policy strategies for the handling of still growing traffic flows are formulated by Local Authorities and are implemented through various ITS services.

THE PROJECT

Cooperative Cities (Co-Cities, for short) is a Pilot B project part-funded under the EC ICT-PSP program, addressing cooperative services in the area of multimodal mobility information. Cooperative mobility means, in the project context, the provision and management of feedback information from travellers (i.e. transport users, vehicle drivers) to the traffic information infrastructure, with the aim of enhancing the information available about traffic and related events and sharing this information with all connected travellers.

Building on results achieved in the previous In-Time ICT-PSP pilot project, two main innovative aspects are tested and validated in Co-Cities:

1. a harmonised access to all traffic information services available in a site via a multi-standard B2B data and service interface – based on the approach validated in the In-Time project – enabling the implementation and delivery of multimodal travel and traffic information services;
2. the validation and enhancement of travel and traffic information services through the collection and processing of users’ feedbacks generated via Co-Cities enabled mobile Apps and checked by a reference platform for data and information service processes quality.

Co-Cities objectives include:

• to extend the numbers of cities which install the In-Time common interface and connect it to the traffic management centre with a regular feed of data and information
• to add new service providers as users of these data and allow them to adapt their traffic information services to the available data and information in the participating cities
• to develop a fast and reliable validation process for cooperative traffic information services with the use of a “reference platform” with a feedback loop to the cities on data quality and the respective user acceptance of the traffic information services
• to extend the number of traffic information services and provide them in a more integrated and coherent way to the end user
• to make these services more attractive and appealing to users, which is the basis for the future strength and viability of the business case for transport related personal information services

The transport information services of Cooperative Cities are developed in a partnership between cities, public authorities, transport operators and regions on one side which deliver high quality traffic information and the Traffic Information Service Providers on the other side which bring in their relations to the end users, customers and the capacity to extend the service concepts and user acceptance. As a useful tool to describe the complex interactions between all the partners involved in the service delivery chain the following value chain model for the activities involved in the service generation is used in this project.

CONSORTIUM

A consolidated research group with a renowned academic and industrial profile.

• AustriaTech Geselschaft des Bundes für technologiepolitische Maßnahmen GmbH (AT)
• algoWatt SpA (IT)
• Telematix Software, a.s. (CZ)
• Fluidtime Data Services GmbH (AT)
• Brimatech Services GmbH (AT)
• Tom Tom B.V (NL)
• The Regional Organiser of Prague Integrated Transport (CZ)
• POLIS-Promotion of Operational Links with Integrated Services (BE)
• Atos SA (ES)
• PTV Planung Transport Verkehr AG. (DE)
• Asociacion Cluster Del Transporte Y La Logistica De EUSKADI (ES)
• Regione Toscana (IT)
• Reading Borough Council (GB)
• Mobilità di Marca (IT)
• MemEx S.R.L. (IT)