The In-Time newsletter - Intelligent and efficient travel management for European cities

Issue 3 - May 2011

Highlights:

P. 1: In-Time is operational

P. 2: In-Time goes public...

P. 3: Learn all about Free2Move

P. 4-5: Bucharest demo

In-Time is operational: follow us now!Since the start of its operation at the beginning of spring 2011, the number of test users of the In-

Time project has grown rapidly. When In-Time applications were first launched for their internal tests in the app store, many interested people had already started downloading the In-Time

i-phone app.

Meanwhile, several thousand people from the six In-Time pilot cities (Vienna, Brno, Munich, Bucharest, Oslo and Florence) received the apps, provided for free by different

Transport Information Service Providers (TISPs), on the In-Time web page www.in-time-project.eu as well as on i-Phone, Symbian and Windows Mobile platforms.

In addition to the In-Time website, a number of partners placed the In-Time banner on their own web pages. They further engaged in advertising the availability of the software for test users in different magazines and during conferences and events in view of recruiting new test users.

The “In-Time goes public” launch event held in Vienna earlier this year attracted nearly 100 visitors from institutions, public authorities and the ITS community, as well as other parties, showing just how great the interest in solutions provided

by the In-Time services is. Austrian and EU media representatives reported on the event, highlighting the achievements and successful implementation of the project

in the test cities.

A further public event took place more recently in the test city of Bucharest, gathering the ITS community of Romania, including stakeholders from public transport operators.

As the event took place at the Polytechnical University of Bucharest, a partner to the In-Time project, many students were able to join in, thus representing a vast number of potential future

test users, and also potential future developers of the advanced systems. The audiences experienced a live demonstration of the In-Time services in Bucharest.

During its second annual review, In-Time was examined by reviewers and the European Commission. They were highly satisfied with the progress of the project, as well as with the high number of demonstrated test users in pilot cities.

Currently, the main goal of the European Commission is to maximise its efforts in promoting and spreading the In-Time services across Europe together with a business plan aimed to ensure that In-Time will keep operational after the test phase and become a self-runner.

The business plan will be developed in the near future to outline the necessary steps to be taken to run In-Time services independently. For that purpose stakeholder interviews will need to be carried out and a business model will be set up.

During the 8th European ITS Congress in Lyon in June, the In-Time project will be presented to the conference attendees with the prospect of raising awareness in the project and attracting further followers and TISPs.

Parties interested in the In-Time solutions and services will soon find the so-called ‘In-Time package’ provided for free on the In-Time website, offering a guidebook and the relevant software needed to install the In-Time system.

We think the time is ripe now, so please follow us!

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“…cooperation with the In-Time project is very important for a city like Vienna enabling us to offer high level traffic information service in the Vienna Region to all”.

...Bernhard Engleder, City of Vienna

“In-Time will give users the unique possibility to optimise their travel routes in cities and to change their travel habits in a more environmental friendly way without any effort. This service could not only enhance the user´s comfort in travelling, but also help to achieve goals like CO2 reduction or the better use of capacity in transport in urban areas”.

...Martin Boehm, AustriaTech

Intelligent and efficient travel management for European cities Time for greener moving. In-Time goes public!

The In-Time launch event took place on 25 January 2010 in Vienna, Austria. High level participants from industry and service providers and city and regional representatives had the opportunity to critically examine the In-Time project’s achievements and aims, the technical solutions to be deployed and the progress and models of the six in-Time Pilot cities - Brno, Bucharest, Florence, Munich, Oslo and Vienna.

The event opened with an introduction from Bernhard Engleder (City of Vienna) and a project overview from Martin Boehm (Project Coordinator,

AustriaTech). Participants then had the opportunity to visit the In-Time demonstration area, where In-Time project partners were on hand to explain and answer questions on their contributions to the project.

Bernhard Engleder (City of Vienna) underlined that “…cooperation with the In-Time project is very important for a city like Vienna enabling us to offer high level traffic information service in the Vienna Region to all…”

Martin Boehm (Project Coordinator, AustriaTech) said, “The extensive developments of the last 1.5 years have borne fruit for all In-Time project partners. We can now start the important pilot phase that will contribute to the successful realisation and continuation of In-Time services.”

The In-Time project was then described and discussed in three sessions. The first session focussed on the In-Time concept and its expected impacts. The second delved into the technical architecture and end user solutions from the three In-Time Traveller Information Service Providers. Finally, the third session examined how interested public authorities and companies can become involved in the In-Time project.

Bernhard Engleder (City of Vienna) noted that “The next challenge will be to connect the regions throughout Europe and to set common standards for data quality, services and usability. In this context, In-

Time is a very important next step and can be called an outstanding best practice example for innovative traffic services and transnational cooperation.”

Finally, Martin Boehm (Project Coordinator, AustriaTech) wrapped up proceedings, “In-Time will give users the unique possibility to optimise their travel routes in cities and to change their travel habits in a more environmental friendly way without any effort. This service could not only enhance the user´s comfort in travelling, but also help to achieve goals like CO2 reduction or the better use of capacity in transport in urban areas.”

Martin Boehm, In-Time Project Coordinator

Samson Tsegay (Mizar) demonstrates In-Time

Vincent Maenhaut (GEO Solutions) presents the In-Time service on a smartphone using Microsoft Windows

Free2Move: the new In-Time mobile application for Android

Developed by Softeco Sismat, partner of the In-Time Consortium, Free2Move is the latest In-Time compliant application providing easy mobile access to multimodal travel and traffic information for Android smartphones and tablet PCs.

The App, which will be available on the Android Market in the next weeks, is a client of the miXer™ environment, also delivered by Softeco as a reference technological platform providing access to the In-Time server B2B interfaces running in the six In-Time cities (visit www.softeco.it/mixer for more information).

Like the miXer™ desktop web application, Free2Move™ uses data and services available through the In-Time Commonly Agreed Standardised B2B Interface to provide several Location Based Services (LBS) and Multimodal Journey Planning. The actual user position – automatically provided by the phone – or a specified location (address, POI) can be used to plan a journey from a place to another or to get information about parking places, public transport stops or traffic alerts in the proximity of the user. Additionally, once a journey is planned users can search for LBS information around the start, destination or intermediate points. Any of these points, in turn, can be used as start or destination point for another journey, depending on the user’s needs and preferences.

Joining the other In-Time compliant Apps available for iPhone, Win 6.5 and Symbian smartphones, Free2Move covers a gap in the very rapidly evolving market of smartphone platforms. According to figures from the first Quarter 2011, Android has achieved more than one third (36%) of the smartphone market sales in Europe, it is now the leading smartphone platform in France and the UK and is getting very close to the top position in Germany.

We expect that thanks to Free2Move on Android smartphones and Tab PCs, the base of users testing In-Time multimodal travel and traffic information services in Europe – already quite large, with over 2500 users of the iPhone, Win and Symbian applications – will increase even more dramatically in the next few months, providing a strong contribution to the validation and take up of In-Time services.

In-Time test user involvementIn order to gain broad feedback of potential In-Time service

users in the In-Time cities, a test user campaign has been started in parallel to the service demonstration. This feedback is the very basis for future service improvements and an initial assessment of environmental impacts generated by the multimodal information delivered.

After registration as a test user, In-Time users are invited to provide the project team detailed information on their travel behaviour and service usage indicators. The respective questionnaire is delivered to test users right after registration as well as 3 and 6 months later. Following this approach, the

A few screenshots from the application:

individual service acceptance and potential changes in travel behaviour are collected along the demonstration phase and analysed.

In this context, data collection for test users began in January 2011 in order to set the reference related to travel and information behaviour (benchmark without using In-Time applications). By the beginning of May 2011, 592 questionnaires were submitted for the test cities Brno, Bucharest, Florence, Munich, Oslo and Vienna.

First results indicate that travel-related information services are currently being used by the immediate target group on a regular basis. The main service distribution channel within the test-user group is the web, followed by the mobile phone. Typically, such information is used on a weekly basis nowadays. In the framework of the mobile operating system of In-Time test users, Symbian and iPhone are presently the most used ones.

The current questionnaire will be available to use until the end of June 2011 (end of test-user registration), and registered In-Time users will be invited to provide their feedback related to the respective services during summer and winter 2011 – focusing on service acceptance and indicators related to changes in travel behaviour when using In-Time.

Service registration will also be open until the end of June 2011 and we would like to invite you to register as an In-Time test user on http://www.in-time-project.eu/en/test_users/. Please feel free to invite your family, friends and colleagues - we are happy to welcome them also as an In-Time test users!

Bucharest demonstrates In-Time functionalities

Bucharest, one of the biggest cities in South-East Europe, with dense road infrastructure and intense traffic, demonstrates the functionalities of the In-Time project. Bucharest is one of the busiest cities in Europe, with a large number of cars and a dense road network infrastructure. The city is served by surface transport, a large fleet of buses, trolleybuses and trams in addition to the subway network. The area serviced by public transport extends to 1811 square kilometres, 228 km2 of which are in urban areas. Currently, traffic flow and public transport are managed by an integrated system, comprising of over 150

junctions with centralised control, CCTV and public transport management for approximately 300 buses. The system is called BTMS (Bucharest Traffic Management System) and is still in the process of expansion. The road infrastructure is oversaturated by vehicles. Subesequently, new ITS services, such as In Time, are always welcome in a city that inherently lacks a complete traffic and travel dynamic information system.

The Bucharest Pilot is a different test zone for the In-Time applications. Here a special attention is paid on the environmental impact of the In-Time applications and services, and the intensive usage of low energy devices for the road signalling infrastructure, with the aim of measuring the effects of deploying In-Time services. These services are designed to modify the behaviour of individual travellers resulting in reduced energy consumption and emissions caused by traffic.

Prior to the installation of the In-Time infrastructure, the BTMS in Bucharest was the most expanded telematics application for traffic, public transport and safety management. This system is deployed mostly in the centre of town and is the main traffic information provider for the In-Time platform and services.

In-Time services implemented in the Bucharest pilot city include:• Dynamic road traffic information

(higher road), a B2B service accessible via public B2B C.A.I. (Local In-Time server);

• Static parking information, a B2B accessible via public B2B C.A.I.;

• Static public transport information, a B2B, accessible via public B2B C.A.I.;

• Dynamic road traffic information (secondary road), a B2B accessible via public B2B C.A.I.;

• Dynamic PT journey routing, a B2B accessible via public B2B C.A.I.; and

• Dynamic Multimodal Journey Planning, a B2C accessible via public B2B C.A.I..

“We expect that thanks to Free2Move on Android smartphones and Tab PCs, the base of users testing In-Time multimodal travel and traffic information services in Europe – already quite large, with over 2500 users of the iPhone, Win and Symbian applications – will increase even more dramatically in the next few months, providing a strong contribution to the validation and take up of In-Time services.”

...Marius Minea, University of Politehnica of Bucharest

First results indicate that travel-related information services are currently being used by the immediate target group on a regular basis. The main service distribution channel within the test-user group is the web, followed by the mobile phone. Typically, such information is used on a weekly basis nowadays. In the framework of the mobile operating system of In-Time test users, Symbian and iPhone are presently the most used ones.

All services have been implemented by Mizar Automazione and tested by means of various methods. While some temporary interruptions do occur from time to time, mainly due to the TISP, services work satisfactorily in the city. The mobile application (service 17) is available for testing on different platforms and OSs, such as Apple iOS, Windows Mobile, Symbian.

Different tests and measurements have been performed by the Politehnica University – CEPETET in evaluating the correct functionality and accuracy of the services, including: traffic measurements, trips and GPS measurements with the “floating car” methodology etc. all in view of insuring a correct information delivery to final users.

Due to In-Time services being new in the city and the midterm testing period, Bucharest partner Politehnica University – CEPETET, together with Mizar Automazione, were able to organise a public event on 18 May 2011, presenting In-Time services and applications, deployment in Bucharest and future developments of the project in the city.

The Politehnica University of Bucharest is the largest technical university in Romania and the event gathered together participants from different European countries and partners of the project, along with representatives and competent authorities of traffic and transport in Romania: the Bucharest Municipality, Romanian Auto Registry, Romanian organisation for ITS implementation, the public transport operator RATB, Romanian Institute for Computers, and others.

In-Time at the 8th European ITS Congress!

In June 2011 the 8th European ITS Congress will gather together in Lyon the ITS community from accross the European Union, as well

as experts from other countries.

The main focus of the Congress will be “Intelligent mobility - ITS for sustainable transport of persons and goods in urban

regions”, paying specific attention to the following topics:

• Co-modal urban transport management

• Electromobility

• From cooperative systems to integrated mobility services

• From smart concepts to successful implementation

• Governance and business issues

• Information and communication: providers and users

• ITS for adaptive and resilient cities

• Urban freight.

In that context, project In-Time will be presented to the audiences on the topic of “Managing ITS” during the first day of the conference.

The presentation will focus on technical solutions to the interface and the goal of energy efficiency in transport by influencing travel behavior through the provision of multi-modal real-time traffic information to individual travellers. It will address the advantages In-Time services for cities and the traveller, as well as inviting potential follower cities and transport information service providers (TISP) to join the system and keep it operational after the project’s final phase in 2012.

We look forward to seeing you there!

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