Skip to main content

Indra leads European big data project

Technology firm Indra is leading the R&D&i Transforming Transport project, which aims to demonstrate how the use of data may improve management and services rendered to clients in the logistics and transport sector, through 13 large-scale pilots in different countries and transport modes. Funded by the European Commission under Horizon 2020 program, the project includes 47 partners from Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, United Kingdom and Spain, including some of
March 21, 2017 Read time: 3 mins
Technology firm 509 Indra is leading the R&D&i Transforming Transport project, which aims to demonstrate how the use of data may improve management and services rendered to clients in the logistics and transport sector, through 13 large-scale pilots in different countries and transport modes.

Funded by the European Commission under Horizon 2020 program, the project includes 47 partners from Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, United Kingdom and Spain, including some of Europe's infrastructure managers and transport operators.

The 13 pilot projects will be implemented in several countries and in different areas of transport, including roads, airports, ports, rail infrastructure, sustainable connected vehicles, integrated urban mobility and logistics. In each of these areas, new algorithms will be developed and tested, based on existing big data technologies that allow for integrating and analysing real data from diverse sources, developing transport patterns and exploiting these in a way that is most suitable for decision-making.

Valladolid in Spain will implement one of the pilot projects on urban mobility, while France will work on connected vehicles. A further pilot project in Greece will look at airport passenger flow, Great Britain will study rail transport, Portugal will execute a pilot on highways and Germany logistics at ports.

Indra believes the three main advantages that big data may contribute to the transport sector and which the Transforming Transport project will address are the improvement of efficiency, services to clients and the possibility of generating new revenues or business models.

It is calculated that the use of big data may improve operational efficiency of processes and services linked with transport by, at least 15 per cent, optimising the use of resources and reducing maintenance costs, fuel consumption or incidents, among others.

According to Indra, these technologies make it possible to offer a more personalised service adapted to the clients' needs, while also contributing to the optimisation of passenger flows, reducing waiting times and goods delivery and avoiding failed connections between different modes of transport, among other benefits.

The use and exploitation of data may also lead to new sources of income and even new business models, based on a better knowledge of travellers' preferences or travel patterns, for fields like tourism or advertising.

Indra is leading four Transforming Transport pilot projects, including collaboration with Adif and Ferrovial Agroman in a rail pilot project for the high-speed section between Cordoba and Malaga in Spain, where big data technologies will be used to improve the management of the line's maintenance works.

In the two pilot projects on smart roads coordinated by Indra, to be developed in Spain and Portugal with the collaboration of Cintra and Ci3, the goal is to validate the use of data to improve the management of the roads' capacity, reduce accidents, optimise available resources, decrease operating costs and mitigate possible traffic jams.

Indra also heads a pilot project at the Athens Airport which, based on big data, seeks to optimise operations for the airport and airlines, managing passenger flow, optimising check-in times, arrival to boarding gates or access to airplanes.
UTC

Related Content

  • April 16, 2015
    Pan European 24-hour speed enforcement marathon launches
    European Traffic Police Network, TISPOL, has released details of the first pan European 24-hour speed enforcement marathon. In total, 22 countries are taking part in the marathon, starting today, Thursday 16 April at 0600 and continuing to 0600 on Friday 17 April. In the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where the concept was conceived, members of the public have once again been invited to vote on the locations where they would like speed enforcement measures to take place. TISPOL pre
  • January 23, 2012
    Open-source journey planning - the way forward?
    Peter Bell, managing director of journey planning provider Trapeze Group, ponders the business models which will underpin future travel information services from a UK perspective Traditionally, journey planning websites for public transport in the UK (for example, Transport Direct, the Traveline regions or National Rail Enquiries) have been provided by the transport operators keen to increase ridership and revenues, or by public bodies who hope to encourage a modal switch to public transport by making it e
  • January 15, 2016
    Smart railways market ‘worth US$13.77 billion by 2020’
    According to new market research report by MarketsandMarkets, the smart railway market is predicted to grow from US$5.34 Billion in 2015 to US$13.77 Billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 20.8 per cent over the period. The smart railways concept includes the combination of advanced solutions and services of intelligent transportation with the information and communication technology. It facilitates the smart use of rail assets, from tracks to trains which will enable companies to meet the increasing consumer dema
  • April 25, 2013
    Insight into China's smart cities initiatives
    Schneider Electric, which has been playing an active role in smart transportation systems in China since 1990, provides an insight into smart city initiatives in the country. Today, most cities across the world are facing unprecedented growth, which questions the viability of the current development model. They are immersed in a competition with each other, both domestically and internationally, in terms of investments, jobs and talents. Cities need to become more attractive and intelligent by becoming more