OBSERVER: Copernicus in the front seat of smart mobility
The way people, goods and services travel has drastically changed in the past decades. Evolving needs, advances in technology and a growing population are all factors contributing to the increase in the demand of different modes and frequency of transportation. This paradigm shift in the way we move around brings with it additional health, safety, security and congestion management considerations. As these mobility trends continue to intensify with time, innovative data-driven “smart mobility” solutions are becoming indispensable. Copernicus, with its free and open data and the synergies it has with Galileo, is uniquely placed to revolutionise the intelligent transport and mobility network. Rethinking how the transportation infrastructure is used in both daily life and business will not only address these issues but foster the transformation towards a resource efficient and environmentally friendly society.
The EU’s sustainable and smart mobility strategy
In the eyes of the EU, solutions to today and tomorrow’s problems must be smart and sustainable. More than compatible, these metrics are tightly interlinked and are a key anchor in the European Commission’s vision of a twin digital and green transition. Today, transport accounts for a quarter of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Acknowledging it as one of the most important pollutant industries, the European Commission has rolled out its “Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy” where it outlines the milestones it wants Europe to reach by 2050. Many of the targets in the strategy are aligned with the broader perspective of the European Green Deal, which aims at reaching a “90% cut in emissions by 2050, delivered by a smart, competitive, safe, accessible and affordable transport system”. This action plan has already engendered – and will continue to – sustainable, social and economic benefits for society as a whole. For example, the efficiencies gained through decreased traffic congestion will save cities and their respective industries billions of dollars in productivity and fuel costs. As the EU Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean said: “As the backbone that connects European citizens and business, transport matters to us all. We have no time to lose in getting it fit for the future. Digital technologies have the potential to revolutionise the way we move, making our mobility smarter, more efficient and also greener. We need to provide businesses a clear pathway for the green investments they will need to make over the coming decades. Through the implementation of this strategy, we will create an irreversible shift to zero-emission mobility while making our transport system more efficient and resilient.”[1]
The three objectives of the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy
EU Space data and signals: the powerhouse behind smart mobility
The exploitation of Earth Observation (EO) enhances the resilience and smartness of cities. In a highly mobile society, the integration of large volumes of Copernicus data has the power to revolutionise the way we travel. This feat is possible because Copernicus offers near-real-time data through satellite and in-situ observations and is served by a set of dedicated satellites (the Sentinel family) as well as contributing missions (existing commercial and public satellites). Earth observation data and GNSS signals can be used to measure factors like vehicle speed, traffic volume, physical surroundings (i.e., landscape, infrastructure), individual driving habits and geographic information for traffic management and coordination which can then be used to provide smart services like the intelligent provision of public transport, organising ride shares or mobility-on-demand. In this context, it is important to underline the synergies that exist between the various components of the EU Space Programme. As Europe’s civilian global satellite navigation system (GNSS), Galileo allows users to know their exact position and time with great accuracy. Thus, while Copernicus provides the characteristics of a landscape, Galileo provides navigation, support for the high accuracy positioning and tracking of particular targets.
Copernicus contribution toward efficient road and rail transport
Road and railways are the pillars of any country’s transportation infrastructure. When in good condition, these physical assets have the power to fast-track economic integration and development. However, this is not always the case. As infrastructure ages, it inevitably brings about safety risks. Thus, regular monitoring of the state of transport infrastructure is needed.
The picture shows four ground motion examples from EGMS (Basic product). Upper left, the urban area of Brussels (Belgium) and the European Parliament; upper right, the Firenze-Prato-Pistoia basin in Italy affected by subsidence due to water exploitation; lower left, ground motion in the surroundings of the Hambach surface mine in Germany; lower right, landslides in the slopes of a fjord near Tromsø (Norway).
The European Ground Motion Service (EGMS) provided by the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service plays a crucial role in promoting smart mobility by providing accurate and up-to-date information about the stability of the ground. This information can be used by transportation agencies, urban planners and engineers to design and maintain safe and efficient transportation systems.
The EGMS collects and analyses data from various sources such as satellite imagery, geodetic measurements and ground-based sensors to generate detailed maps of ground motion. These maps provide information about the velocity and direction of ground motion, as well as the level of risk associated with it. This information helps transportation agencies identify areas that are susceptible to ground instability and plan accordingly to minimise disruptions to transportation systems. EGMS also provides information about ground motion that can be used to optimise the design and operation of transportation systems. For example, engineers can use the information provided by the EGMS to design safer and more resilient infrastructure, such as bridges and tunnels, which can withstand the effects of ground motion. In addition to its contribution to the design and maintenance of transportation systems, the EGMS also plays a role in ensuring the safety of travellers. By providing early warning information about potential ground instability, transportation agencies can take proactive measures to reduce the risk of accidents and maximise safety.
Sustainable transportation for rural areas
In addition to solving logistical transport issues, Copernicus also helps rural areas while enabling sustainable solutions. These areas are often impacted by limited and unreliable transportation options, and scarce resources makes it so that people cannot afford them. This reality leads to a growing dependence on personal cars, which are one of the main contributors of greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and traffic congestion. Tunnll is an efficient and sustainable bus service for small towns using OpenStreetMap, road networks and map datasets along with building, road and pedestrian walkway imagery. It also incorporates a variety of Copernicus data and information, such as map tiles of Copernicus Sentinel-2 Level-2A data. Tunnll thus replaces bus routing with real-time pedestrian routing of passengers. This makes it more efficient than fixed-timetable bus services and on-demand minibus services.
Tunnll presenting at the 2022 edition of the EU Space Week
Reimagining the future
Copernicus is set to play a big role in the future of smart mobility and the twin digital and green transition. Easier, cleaner and more sustainable solutions are needed to complement existing infrastructure and to enable the development of the future one, meeting the demands of passengers. The data products provided by Copernicus offer not only help in ameliorating the transportation experience, but also in making mobility safer, greener and economically beneficial. In this context, the applications for mobility enabled by remote sensing data are critical to find adequate solutions to tackle urban challenges and represent a valuable tool for urban planners, environmental engineers and administrative authorities.