Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LeMO (Leveraging Big Data to Manage Transport Operations)

Teaser

Transport researchers and policy makers today face several challenges as they work to build efficient, safe and sustainable transportation systems. From rising congestion to growing demand for public transit, the travel behaviour and transportation preferences of city dwellers...

Summary

Transport researchers and policy makers today face several challenges as they work to build efficient, safe and sustainable transportation systems. From rising congestion to growing demand for public transit, the travel behaviour and transportation preferences of city dwellers are changing fast. Leveraging Big Data to Manage Transport Operations (LeMO) project addresses these issues by investigating the implications of the utilisation of such Big Data to enhance the economic sustainability and competitiveness of European transport sector. The project examines and analyses Big Data in the European transport domain in particular with respect to five transport dimensions: mode, sector, technology, policy and evaluation. LeMO accomplishes this by conducting a series of case studies. LeMO will supplement these case studies with a trend analysis that finds the barriers and limitations of the transportation system to exploit Big Data opportunities. In collaboration with strong advisory and reference group and expert stakeholders, LeMO will devise and develop research and policy roadmap that will provide incremental steps necessary towards data openness and sharing to make transport safer, more efficient and more sustainable. Notably, LeMO will bring crucial issues linked to privacy, data security and other legal aspects to the forefront, paving the way for future legal framework for the collection and exploitation of Big Data in transport.

Use of case studies:
The LeMO project performs seven case studies in transport related areas through the course of this project. These case studies will involve organisations actively using Big Data for specific purposes and enable LeMO to understand strategies, actions and changes in behaviour associated with Big Data and identify their resultant merits and demerits. These case studies will produce evidence-based, clear and precise questions based on rigorous knowledge that illuminate opportunities, problems and viable solutions to be further investigated in the LeMO roadmap. The identification of these issues will be complemented by a horizontal analysis to identify challenges, opportunities, limitations and other consequences of cross-disciplinary nature, and thus relevant to Big Data in transport sector.


The LeMO project has the following main objectives:
• To map the current context in which Big Data is utilized
• To review Big Data policies and initiatives of the transport public and private sector
• To understand the technological and infrastructural tools relevant to Big Data in transport
• To understand the economic, legal, social, ethical and political issues relevant to Big Data in transport
• To understand the relationship between Big Data and open access to transport data
• To use stakeholder participation in case studies to identify the limitations and barriers utilizing Big Data evident within these case studies
• To determine the extent to which limitations and barriers can be diminished and opportunities can be amplified
• To provide recommendations for leveraging Big Data to manage transport five years in the future
• To design the LeMO research and policy roadmap for Big Data that accounts for the social impact, opportunities, limitations and barriers associated with Big Data and gain stakeholder consensus on the LeMO roadmap

Work performed

The first period of the LeMO project has progressed well in meeting its objectives.

Work package 1, Setting the stage on big data is complete. All of the deliverables were submitted in accordance with an extended deadline and are publicly available on the project website. WP1 partners undertook a literature review of relevant materials to define Big Data and map current data flow internationally (D1.1), to review policies and initiatives relevant to Big Data in the public and private transport sector (D1.2), and to understand the technological and infrastructural tools relevant to Big Data in general and transport, in specific (D1.3). This extensive research revealed a number of meaningful insights to assist transport stakeholders in better understanding the European Big Data ecosystem. Aspects of this research were validated in a workshop in Sogndal, Norway in June 2018.

Work package 2, outlining Institutional and governmental issues and barriers was completed on time, and copies of the Deliverables are available on the project website. WP2 partners undertook a literature review of materials relevant to the economic, legal, environmental, social and ethical, and political issues that arise in relation to Big Data in transport. WP2 partners also examined public sentiment towards Big Data information practices, including public aspirations for Big Data information practices, as well as reviewing the current status of Big Data and open access policies. WP2 partners identified practical examples impacting different stakeholders (industry, public sector, governments, citizens etc.) Analyses of this information confirmed that a number of economic, legal, environmental, social and ethical and political issues are present in the Big Data landscape in Europe and they impact a number of key transport areas, and potentially the Big Data industry as a whole. These findings were validated at a workshop that was held in Vienna, Austria in November 2018.

Work package 3, LeMO Case studies were almost complete at the close of the first reporting period. Partners are finalising case studies, which involve transport organisations actively using big data for specific purposes, to enable LeMO to understand strategies, actions and changes in behaviour associated with big data and identify their resultant merits and demerits. The identification of these issues will be complemented by a horizontal analysis in Work Package 4 to identify challenges, opportunities, limitations and other consequences of cross-disciplinary nature, and thus relevant to big data in transport sector.

Work package 5, Creating shared value commenced with the start of the LeMO project and will remain live throughout the duration of the project. To date, project partners have established and continue to maintain a user-friendly website to keep stakeholders engaged. In addition to the project website, other dissemination activities have included: webinars, the design and production of promotional materials, including brochures, project logo and posters; a publicity campaign, which includes drafting journal articles and presentations; as well as mass media interaction via blogs, webinars and social media channels.

Final results

The expected impact of the LeMO project will be on transport stakeholders and the broader society by developing the research and policy roadmap that will assist stakeholders to diminish the barriers and limitations, and amplify the opportunities associated with Big Data in European Transport sector. The LeMO project will collect evidence of barriers, limitations and opportunities across a number of vital transport modes to support these key impacts.

Strategic impacts – Provide research and policy recommendations to assist stakeholders.

Economic impacts – Assist European stakeholders in gaining a greater share of the Big Data market by 2020.

Social impacts – Provide recommendations that will assist stakeholders to diminish the negative social impacts associated with Big Data in transportation.

Website & more info

More info: https://lemo-h2020.eu/.