What moves us?

The Mobility Data Market Place can look back on a successful history stretching back to the year 2007. As a child of his time it has been conceived and implemented as publish/subscribe service. For its original purpose as a business-to-business data broker, this concept and the technology used has proved perfectly suitable and reliable. Yet, the world keeps turning and within the recent years, we have observed new trends and technology flows resulting in demands upon the MDM we have to tackle. For instance, the current MDM architecture is not completely in tune with the demands upon Open Data Portals more and more provided by public players. We also keep an eye on the interfaces used in the app development scene, current developments in the area of message queuing protocols or the International Data Spaces Association to make the MDM fit for the future.

So far, MDM has provided mainly data types for the automobile traffic. The traffic user, however, as the ‘end user’ of the generated traffic information becomes increasingly interested in being informed about different mobility options. Many information platforms like ‘Routenplaner’ have reacted to this by showing automobile routes and travel times as well as alternatives by train or bus. The question now is, how the underlying data for the different transport modes can best be fed into such platforms. A central, multimode data platform for the B2B area is certainly worth considering, but the implementation of such a platform is anything else but trivial due to various data formats, stakeholders and partially existing, parallel data ecosystems. How MDM can be integrated in such a multi-mode world of data is a topic we are currently extremely concerned with and that we are discussing with potential data players, stakeholders and finally the BMVI as our customer.

A continuous stress factor for transport users are frequent road works along the roads. These affect the traffic flow, traffic safety and the driving comfort. Comprehensive information about the status of road works, as well as the coordination of the planning of road works can provide relief. The nationwide road works information system [Baustelleninformationssystem (BIS)] provided by BAST through integration of road works reports by the federal states, is certainly a step in the right direction, but it does not display the entire road network, especially municipal roads. The specific challenge for the municipalities is the number of players involved in the planning of road works and implementation, e.g. individual road maintenance, municipal subsidiaries and external companies like energy suppliers. Many municipalities are working on building or developing their road works management systems at the moment. These systems facilitate the internal coordination of planned road works within a city, e.g. by scheduling road works of different players that are planned for the same location at the same time. Furthermore, an exchange with neighbouring communities and regional authorities, especially in agglomerates, is indispensable to coordinate alternative routes. The software of road works management systems is easily equipped with MDM-interfaces, so that road work reports are passed on to the transport user via the standard channels. The MDM can even easily function as ‘data hub’ between the mentioned players. We are currently working on how further data players in this field can be attracted to an intense data exchange and how this exchange might work (e.g. via what type of DATEX II Profiles).

Digitalisation is a mega trend and has been turning many areas of life and economic sectors upside down. A resulting development is the worldwide revival of the start-up scene that can certainly also be noticed in the areas of traffic and mobility.

Easier access to data of various domains is indispensable to the success of many start-ups. Because of the central role of the MDM within the field of data suppliers in the area of traffic and mobility data for Germany, we are well aware of our responsibility to be a potential ‘enabler’. As such we like to support new (and old) start-ups by providing a reliable data distribution platform with interesting data. Even though we are already supporting a number of small businesses in this way, we always try to get to know further and new requirements regarding data types and formats and data processes of the start-up world to be even more attractive and supportive to start-ups.

In 2019 we will therefore put more emphasis on building good and deep relationships with the start- up community.

Long before self-propelled and highly automated vehicles will reach a relevant market share, large interconnected vehicle fleets will be on their way on German roads. This, together with the current and future possibilities of vehicle sensor technology creates enormous potential for the accessibility of data or rather new data types.

We are actively involved in the Data Task Force together with further EU member states and representatives of the automobile industry and the service providers. This group was set up by EU traffic ministers and the EU commission in 2007 to promote vehicle data exchange within Europe for safer and more efficient traffic.

The main focus we have been addressing first is traffic safety. The idea is that in the future, as soon as one vehicle recognises a hazard like black ice on the road, this information is made available to all other vehicles (independent of manufacturer) as a warning message. Before sustainable data flows and corresponding processes- ideally harmonised for the whole of Europe- will be established, a number of technical, legal and organisational issues are to be resolved. It is clear though, that the MDM as national access point for traffic data will certainly play a central role regarding the distribution of such warning messages.