Thessaloniki Smart Mobility Living Lab (Thessaloniki, Greece)
Area: across the region including, but not limited to an urban centren
Date implemented: 2005 (first equipment and datasets); 2021 (infrastructure and partner engagement)
How long from concept to implementation: The Living Lab is dynamic and continuously evolving. The first equipment and datasets for the project were acquired in 2005, whereas the laboratory’s infrastructure and activities related to real time data and services to be provided to the city were clearly determined in 2012. This is when the first potential partners were contacted to create strong engagement relations for the future.
Relation between efforts undertaken and benefits achieved: good
What was done and how: The Thessaloniki Smart Mobility Living Lab is a user-driven innovation environment where users and producers co-create innovation in a trusted, open ecosystem. Using innovative methods, public and private institutions participate in data collection and take part in the co-design of provided services. Users also have the ability to assess services for their continuous improvement. The use of data shared by users’ social media ensures a strong link between design and real-life user behaviour, and further strengthens collaboration between policy makers and users.
The Living Lab collects transport-related data related through both an external network of sensors (Bluetooth, cooperative units), as well as its ecosystem of partners, including CERTH/HIT and various public and private stakeholders. The whole ecosystem benefits from the exchange of knowledge. It is a one-stop source for mobility data and services in Greece, where both mature and new technologies are used side-by-side to efficiently handle data streams.
Thessaloniki Smart Mobility Living Lab collects, filters, processes and analyses data related to the mobility of persons and goods. It also ensures and validates data quality and provides value-added services to raw data, combining multiple sources and contents in a modular and scalable way. This means that it has the ability to easily integrate new data sources and procedures and at the same time efficiently manage the big volume of data. Thus, it addresses mobility data collection and validation; traffic pattern definition; mobility governance and orchestration; and understanding mobility needs and traffic in cities.
These activities have enabled to development of services and applications for end users, such as: traffic status and travel estimation; traffic and fleet management; multi-modal routing/navigation; and digital twin development.
The benefits achieved so far in the project relate to the Lab’s research goals, and rely on: transport content aggregation; data management and observatory; hosting internal and third-party services; a platform for service development; provision of research infrastructure, datasets and software; support to researchers and academics; and provision of services to the public, organisations and administrations.
Through the processing of data, THESSM@LL has the ability to implement test bed platforms for new technologies, innovative transportation models and algorithms, and prototype for applications arising from research, which still focusing on citizen engagement and participation.
Although numerous benefits have been achieved, there remains a need to align the laboratory’s projects with its strategy. These projects should not only be efficiently executed but also the scalability and the sustainability of their results should be ensured.
Why it worked to 'fast track' the innovation/measure: The accelerated deployment of THESSM@LL was achieved through participation in nationally- and internationally-funded projects, the development of added-value services for third parties, and long-term collaboration with the ecosystem and end-users. Some examples of the projects and partnerships referred to are:
* HIT supports the FOTNETDATA project (http://fot-net.eu/) through the COMPASS4D and COGISTICS projects with its participation in various workshops presenting the collection and the use of project data.
* Thessaloniki is one of the three European cities that have created a pilot application on the TM2.0 platform (http://tm20.org/)
* Thessaloniki was selected as a transport pilot by Big Data Europe project (BDE - http://www.bigdata-europe.eu/), which aims to empower European communities with multi-domain DataTechnologies. Apart from the access to the project’s data, the THESSM@LL has technological and consulting support and is recognized as a “key lighthouse project in the Europe and big data strategy which assumes a leading role in big data technology within its community”.
* CERTH/HIT’s proposal “Open Data Centre” has been selected by the Greek Research and Technology Network (GRNET) and thus, the THESSM@LL benefits from the GRNET’s infrastructure including technological tools, technical support, cooperation with other research groups and internationalisation.
* CERTH/HIT had representatives twice in Research Data Alliance (RDA) Plenary Meetings in Paris in 2015 and in Tokyo in 2016. Dr Josep Maria Salanova Grau and Manos Chaniotakis attended the 6th and 7th meetings respectively focused on data. The active participation of HIT in the RDA organisation is among the Institute’s future goals.
* CERTH/HIT is a co-founder of Thessaloniki Technology Park Management and Development Corporation S.A (TTP). Among the future initiatives of the Thessaloniki Technology Park is the development of the THESS International Technology Center (ThessINTEC). ThessINTEC is a new 4th generation, sustainable and international center in Thessaloniki focused on partnerships between research and industrial actors of the region and the world.
* THESSM@LL join the European Network of Living Labs and the EIT Urban Mobility as a core member. Also, CERTH/HIT supports the interconnection of local ecosystem with the initiative of EIT Urban Mobility by organizing training seminars and workshops, B2B events, and participating in local, regional and national dissemination and communication fairs.
Lessons learnt: Barriers include: lack of funding; reluctance among some stakeholders to share data; and citizen engagement. Enablers of success include:
* Vision and strategy: the THESSM@LL has a long-term strategy for ensuring its sustainability through its own resources in terms of infrastructure and staff, and additionally through its participation in funded projects
* Infrastructure: The lab contains mature infrastructure that is being constantly used for its purposes. It includes internal equipment such as computer clusters, servers etc. along with external such as devices to transmit data (Bluetooth detectors)
* People: The lab has a core group that brings diverse and interdisciplinary expertise, knowledge and experience. This team of people can therefore expand the capabilities of the lab above and beyond the transportation sector
* Network: The lab and the institute has established a network of stakeholders that provide data and receive services and applications. Furthermore, the stakeholders expand and validate the lab’s knowledge on current market and research conditions
Sources or links:
Date implemented: 2005 (first equipment and datasets); 2021 (infrastructure and partner engagement)
How long from concept to implementation: The Living Lab is dynamic and continuously evolving. The first equipment and datasets for the project were acquired in 2005, whereas the laboratory’s infrastructure and activities related to real time data and services to be provided to the city were clearly determined in 2012. This is when the first potential partners were contacted to create strong engagement relations for the future.
Relation between efforts undertaken and benefits achieved: good
What was done and how: The Thessaloniki Smart Mobility Living Lab is a user-driven innovation environment where users and producers co-create innovation in a trusted, open ecosystem. Using innovative methods, public and private institutions participate in data collection and take part in the co-design of provided services. Users also have the ability to assess services for their continuous improvement. The use of data shared by users’ social media ensures a strong link between design and real-life user behaviour, and further strengthens collaboration between policy makers and users.
The Living Lab collects transport-related data related through both an external network of sensors (Bluetooth, cooperative units), as well as its ecosystem of partners, including CERTH/HIT and various public and private stakeholders. The whole ecosystem benefits from the exchange of knowledge. It is a one-stop source for mobility data and services in Greece, where both mature and new technologies are used side-by-side to efficiently handle data streams. Thessaloniki Smart Mobility Living Lab collects, filters, processes and analyses data related to the mobility of persons and goods. It also ensures and validates data quality and provides value-added services to raw data, combining multiple sources and contents in a modular and scalable way. This means that it has the ability to easily integrate new data sources and procedures and at the same time efficiently manage the big volume of data. Thus, it addresses mobility data collection and validation; traffic pattern definition; mobility governance and orchestration; and understanding mobility needs and traffic in cities.
These activities have enabled to development of services and applications for end users, such as: traffic status and travel estimation; traffic and fleet management; multi-modal routing/navigation; and digital twin development. The benefits achieved so far in the project relate to the Lab’s research goals, and rely on: transport content aggregation; data management and observatory; hosting internal and third-party services; a platform for service development; provision of research infrastructure, datasets and software; support to researchers and academics; and provision of services to the public, organisations and administrations. Through the processing of data, THESSM@LL has the ability to implement test bed platforms for new technologies, innovative transportation models and algorithms, and prototype for applications arising from research, which still focusing on citizen engagement and participation. Although numerous benefits have been achieved, there remains a need to align the laboratory’s projects with its strategy. These projects should not only be efficiently executed but also the scalability and the sustainability of their results should be ensured.
Why it worked to 'fast track' the innovation/measure: The accelerated deployment of THESSM@LL was achieved through participation in nationally- and internationally-funded projects, the development of added-value services for third parties, and long-term collaboration with the ecosystem and end-users. Some examples of the projects and partnerships referred to are:
* HIT supports the FOTNETDATA project (http://fot-net.eu/) through the COMPASS4D and COGISTICS projects with its participation in various workshops presenting the collection and the use of project data.
* Thessaloniki is one of the three European cities that have created a pilot application on the TM2.0 platform (http://tm20.org/)
* Thessaloniki was selected as a transport pilot by Big Data Europe project (BDE - http://www.bigdata-europe.eu/), which aims to empower European communities with multi-domain DataTechnologies. Apart from the access to the project’s data, the THESSM@LL has technological and consulting support and is recognized as a “key lighthouse project in the Europe and big data strategy which assumes a leading role in big data technology within its community”.
* CERTH/HIT’s proposal “Open Data Centre” has been selected by the Greek Research and Technology Network (GRNET) and thus, the THESSM@LL benefits from the GRNET’s infrastructure including technological tools, technical support, cooperation with other research groups and internationalisation.
* CERTH/HIT had representatives twice in Research Data Alliance (RDA) Plenary Meetings in Paris in 2015 and in Tokyo in 2016. Dr Josep Maria Salanova Grau and Manos Chaniotakis attended the 6th and 7th meetings respectively focused on data. The active participation of HIT in the RDA organisation is among the Institute’s future goals.
* CERTH/HIT is a co-founder of Thessaloniki Technology Park Management and Development Corporation S.A (TTP). Among the future initiatives of the Thessaloniki Technology Park is the development of the THESS International Technology Center (ThessINTEC). ThessINTEC is a new 4th generation, sustainable and international center in Thessaloniki focused on partnerships between research and industrial actors of the region and the world.
* THESSM@LL join the European Network of Living Labs and the EIT Urban Mobility as a core member. Also, CERTH/HIT supports the interconnection of local ecosystem with the initiative of EIT Urban Mobility by organizing training seminars and workshops, B2B events, and participating in local, regional and national dissemination and communication fairs.
Lessons learnt: Barriers include: lack of funding; reluctance among some stakeholders to share data; and citizen engagement. Enablers of success include:
* Vision and strategy: the THESSM@LL has a long-term strategy for ensuring its sustainability through its own resources in terms of infrastructure and staff, and additionally through its participation in funded projects
* Infrastructure: The lab contains mature infrastructure that is being constantly used for its purposes. It includes internal equipment such as computer clusters, servers etc. along with external such as devices to transmit data (Bluetooth detectors)
* People: The lab has a core group that brings diverse and interdisciplinary expertise, knowledge and experience. This team of people can therefore expand the capabilities of the lab above and beyond the transportation sector
* Network: The lab and the institute has established a network of stakeholders that provide data and receive services and applications. Furthermore, the stakeholders expand and validate the lab’s knowledge on current market and research conditions
Sources or links:
