The Network Emissions / Vehicle Flow Management Adjustment (NEVFMA) toolkit

What was the issue / challenge(s) being addressed?Many cities and towns in the UK are in breach of emission and pollution levels and have been mandated with improv-ing their air quality. While air quality is made worse by many factors, a key contributor is vehicle-based emissions. Oxford is one of the �rst cities that is striving to create a Zero Emissions Zone in the city centre, but this policy may a�ect the SRN. Aimsun Live will monitor, predict and evaluate the best strategy across urban and interurban networks.

What was the objective of the project?Vehicle emissions are both a contributor and a target in many town centres in the short-to-medium term. Banning cars is not an option, nor is it possible to build infrastructure to mitigate emissions, so we must look to technology for a solution. Many vehicle-related emissions hot spots are caused by behaviour that can be modi�ed, such as stop/start tra�ic or queuing. By managing the vehicles on the road in a smarter, more proactive way, we seek to improve the balance of emissions.

Project outcomes

The NEVFMA toolkit is a project that seeks to improve vehicle-based emissions based on real-time data from both tra�ic and environmental sensors. The whole network, both strategic and local, is monitored and adapted to balance the impact of tra�ic on air quality. Earthsense Zephr sensors provide data to o�icers to implement Siemens on-ground strategies based on KPIs calculated by Aimsun Live.

Executive summary

Key timeline: 12-month project.

Capture Policies and De�ne KPIs

Deploy air quality sensors and capture tra�ic data

Develop Aimsun Live Network

Integrate elements

Predict air quality and tra�ic conditions

Evaluate response plans to KPIs

Monitor and adapt solution

Key successes / deliverables:We will show that air quality improvements can be made using technology and that by balancing the tra�ic in the city and strategic road network, hotspots can be reduced.

Jobs created:It is likely that Aimsun will recruit 1 or 2 more sta� to work on the project. EarthSense may recruit as well. The project itself allows all organisations to move forward with their relevant business plans.

Project impact (now or in the future)

Project innovations?This is the �rst time that real-time emissions have been integrated with real-time tra�ic and real-time control to monitor the whole operating network (urban and interurban), in a single, uni�ed approach.

Any use cases for the project?Using relatively low capital and operating costs, the system developed in the project aims to demonstrate how similar systems can be repeated and implemented in other cities and regions, regardless of size. The key solution utilises existing or improves assets, such as data and ITS systems, thus being a key element in authorities’ smart cities strategy and their digitisation process.

Job creation post project? With similar deployments in other cities as a result of this one-year project, the implications of increased contracts are likely to increase investment in enhancing the solution, deploying the solution and supporting the solution. This project win was a key milestone in our business plan.

Has the project attracted further investment?Not yet, although several existing customers are asking for more information and looking at how they may deploy and fund the system for their networks.