RESEARCH AND NETWORK

See here what Stefanie Wetzel (UX designer at highQ) says about the research project at the Thuringian Mobility Forum 2024.

The vision of a digital and green European Union requires joint efforts by companies, public organizations, research institutions, art and culture, as well as proactive engagement by citizens. To promote the development and implementation of innovations, there is a need for digital skills, training programs, testing and experimentation facilities, financial support and interconnected ecosystems.

The European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) MID Germany embodies this vision and these services as part of the European hub network, with a focus on the mobility, logistics and energy sectors. It serves as a regional one-stop shop in Central Germany for the digital transformation of private companies and the public sector. With its interdisciplinary expertise in the application of artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, cybersecurity and digital skills development, EDIH MID Germany addresses the key challenges facing a digital European Union.

By expanding the active innovation ecosystem created through numerous previous activities, it offers potential customers unique opportunities to implement pioneering digital solutions. EDIH MID Germany will promote regional digitalization, generate new digital products and services, stimulate significant private and public investment and thus become an important player in shaping the digital future.

Vision, goals, content, structure and organization
EDIH MID Germany is driven by the firm conviction that Europe can only become the first climate-neutral continent, increase economic prosperity, promote social justice and strengthen democracy if it takes a leading role worldwide in the digital transformation of the economy, public administration, science and society. Shaping Europe's Digital Decade while simultaneously advancing the green transformation is the twin challenge for today's generation in order to create a sustainable future.

With the Digital Europe program, the European Commission has opened the path to the Digital Decade and provides a target system with the common Digital Compass cardinal points, which EDIH MID Germany comprehensively takes up and supports:

• Skills: Training programs will increase the number of ICT specialists and improve the digital skills of professionals
• Infrastructure facilities: Testing and experimentation facilities for digital technologies will be made accessible to public organizations and private companies and serve as best-practice examples for high-performance and sustainable digital infrastructures
• Companies: EDIH MID Germany addresses SMEs at all levels of competence, from pioneers to late adopters, thereby promoting the digital intensity of companies; EDIH MID Germany specifically supports start-ups and cooperates with established incubators
• Government: EDIH MID Germany explicitly supports the digitalization of the public sector as a key player in the transformation process and promotes the high potential of eGovernment solutions

All developments and activities of EDIH MID Germany will incorporate and strengthen the rights and principles declared within the framework of digital citizenship for Europeans. In particular, people's needs are placed at the center of the digital transformation.

EDIH MID Germany aims to become the German EDIH for mobility, logistics and energy. It will support public and private clients from the innovation region of Thuringia and neighboring regions in Central Germany as a one-stop shop in their digital, green transformation. It will promote innovation through experimental practices and interdisciplinary cooperation and actively participate in building a prosperous EDIH network.

The geographical reach and sectoral focus of EDIH MID Germany build on each other and result in the particularly high impact potential of this project. Mobility, logistics and energy are among the economic sectors with the highest turnover and employment in Thuringia, as well as among the most important public infrastructure services. In addition, they are among the sectors with the greatest need and the greatest opportunities for the use of digital technologies.

As part of the EDIH project, highQ Computerlösungen GmbH provides its highQ MobilitySuite, giving interested cities, municipalities and SMEs the opportunity to extensively test a mobility platform including frontends and the associated backend systems. The findings gained can be used to identify requirements more precisely and specify desired extensions. As part of this extensive test deployment, all new developments added during the project period will be available to all interested parties.

In addition, highQ offers all interested institutions mentioned above the opportunity to further explore their requirements in workshops and provides consulting support. Its many years of expertise in the areas of mobility platforms, incentives, e-ticketing and connecting mobility service providers to platforms makes highQ the ideal partner for supporting the conception and planning of a mobility solution from the outset.

Thanks to the European funding framework, all interested institutions can also book these workshops and consultations at reduced rates.

• Program Digital Europe – European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) MID Germany
• Duration: July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026 (extension pending)

Development phase in 2023, the operational phase of the EDIH begins in 2024; from the 2nd quarter of 2024, Hub Days will regularly take place at the Weimar location – we look forward to your participation.

Contact at highQ: 

• Stefanie Wetzel (s.wetzel(at)highq.de), 
• Dominik Danda (d.danda(at)highq.de)

EDIH on LinkedIn EDIH Network

Project description

One of the greatest current societal challenges is ensuring reliable mobility services while simultaneously prioritizing climate protection. However, innovations or new legal frameworks can never completely resolve problem areas.

What has been lacking so far is a concept for linking different mobility services that is accessible – especially for SMEs and smaller cities – and that not only considers individual concepts, but offers integrated solutions as well as a low barrier to entry.

Project objective

The project aims to achieve cross-modal, data-sovereign information gathering by networking mobility services. Data collection in the field of mobility is to be simplified so that clear conclusions can be drawn with regard to environmentally oriented and multimodal transport management. Research results are provided through the networked integration zone using trustworthy AI-supported applications. The special feature is the focus on easy market access for SMEs and a large number of cities.

Implementation

To achieve its objectives, AIAMO provides an integration zone for environmental, mobility management and public transport data. AI-based applications enable interaction between infrastructure, vehicles and road users. Two basic work packages (AP101, AP102) establish the foundations of a central integration zone, while AP302 describes the identification and development of usable data sources (IdEDa), AP303 the digital twin for transport and environment (DiZ V&M), AP304 AI-based mobility management for public/private transport (KIbaMo) and AP305 environmentally sensitive traffic management for land-based transport (UVer).

Consortium coordinator: ITS Germany – Federal Association of Business and Science for Transport Technologies and Intelligent Mobility, Berlin

Project duration:

• 07/2023 – 06/2026

Project partners

• FKFS - Research Institute of Automotive Engineering and Vehicle Engines Stuttgart
• Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH – UFZ, Leipzig
• highQ Computerlösungen GmbH, Freiburg i. B.
• DLR - German Aerospace Center, Cologne
• Robert Bosch GmbH, Gerlingen-Schillerhöhe
• Schlothauer & Wauer Ingenieurgesellschaft für Straßenverkehr mbH, Haar
• Swarco-Solution Center GmbH, Berlin
• Swarco-Traffic Systems GmbH, Unterensingen
• Theis Consult GmbH, Aachen
• T-Systems International GmbH, Frankfurt a. M.
• TEQYARD GmbH, Braunschweig

Funding provider: Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport  <> Department DP20

E-mail: ref-dp20(at)bmdv.bund.de

Further information: 

https://www.aiamo.de

Gaia-X is a platform that connects data providers and data users from different regions and domains. It provides a federated, secure data infrastructure that enables users to access, manage and share data with various partners and applications. 

The main objective of Gaia-X is to improve the conditions for secure data exchange and enable the development of new data-driven services in Europe. This includes creating data spaces that replicate the digital representation of existing physical, natural, industrial or social ecosystems.

The Gaia-X 4 ROMS sub-project implements the mobility domain, which focuses on developing an intelligent transport system designed to enable the cross-domain, Gaia-X-compliant use of data and networking across all transport segments and modes of transport. The project is led by a consortium of various companies and research institutions, including highQ Computerlösungen GmbH. 

The objective of Gaia-X 4 ROMS is to facilitate the integration of innovative vehicles into the overall system and apply the design principles of Gaia-X. The project develops concrete technology components for vehicle-based transport concepts for people and goods and makes them visible. The digital infrastructure enables new data-based services to be developed and established. highQ is developing a tool for service planning and an application for a Gaia-X-compliant on-demand service. The implementation of the research project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and the European Union.

Funding provider:
Funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action on the basis of a resolution of the German Bundestag - Financed by the European Union NextGenerationEU

Project duration:
07/2021 - 02/2025

Further information

Gaia-X eu Gaia-X4futuremobility

Innovation through experimentation – highQ is part of the project that aims to make a real-world laboratory of the future for sustainable and intelligent mobility, logistics and energy supply tangible in Erfurt. The focus is on networking and using the latest mobility approaches through artificial intelligence to support Germany in the mobility and energy transition. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy on the basis of a resolution of the German Bundestag as part of the national strategy for artificial intelligence.

Here, highQ contributes its core expertise and further develops it in the form of barrier-free, multimodal mobility solutions for Erfurt. Citizens are encouraged to use mobility options that serve the common good through AI-supported mobility suggestions. Changing behavior is made easier through the management of subscriptions, ticketing, planning & dispatching and direct controlling (banking and fare management) provided in the mobility assistant. In addition, incentives are provided in a user-friendly way – the citizens of Erfurt can collect time miles (i.e. bonus points) through mobility behavior that serves the common good and exchange them for rewards. 

This allows them to travel in a needs-based, environmentally friendly and cost-effective way at all times, while Erfurt benefits from reduced emissions and congestion as well as more satisfied citizens. Through the mobility concept that serves the common good and is supported by AI, Erfurt is becoming a pioneer for the necessary modal shift in the mobility sector. In accordance with the motto “Reward rather than punish”, the citizens of Brühl, but also other stakeholders (e.g. employees commuting to the district), can be rewarded for adapting their behavior in accordance with a traffic management strategy of the city of Erfurt or optimizing it personally.

Similar to well-known bonus point programs in the retail sector, citizens collect “time miles” according to their mobility behavior and can then exchange these time miles for mobility-related rewards (e.g. public transport tickets, parking reservations, rental of electric vehicles or similar).

The algorithms and solutions developed by highQ for Zeitmeilen AG are particularly suited to the requirements of the Bauhaus.MobilityLab, as the system approach was specifically designed for defined, particularly small areas.

In addition, following the Living Lab principle, the algorithms can be flexibly and quickly adapted to local needs and experiences in Brühl (particulate matter, nitrogen oxide, traffic searching for parking spaces, etc.). This allows the final strategy of the city of Erfurt to be aligned step by step together with citizens and stakeholders in an open dialogue.

In the BauhausMobilityLab, trip chains are mapped for the first time using the ZEUS patent introduced by BPV, in order to establish a clearly and verifiably secure approach in accordance with data protection standards, both for billing mobility services and for incentivizing them.

In particular, the patented technology of Generative Software (part of the highQ Group) can be used for the efficient integration of additional service providers and for distributing the generated information and services through as many channels as possible.

The systems of a new service provider (particularly mobility service providers, but also other services such as weather forecasts) can be connected with little effort. In addition to an app developed as part of the project, a widget or library can also easily be generated to provide the required information or services in other required forms.

Automation for creating source code, configuration and documentation, build scripts, tests and execution environments also creates ideal conditions for the process improvement approach “DevOps”. The data collected through the results of using automation tools makes it possible to make fast, well-founded decisions and take targeted measures.

Nowadays, an application generally consists of several components that are more or less loosely coupled via interfaces. When several such applications are connected via networks to form a software system, this is referred to as a distributed software system, which can, for example, be implemented using a microservices architecture. These applications are also connected to each other via interfaces.

This situation is taken into account in automation by providing individual automation support for each component and each application, which also takes into account the interfaces between the components and between the applications. Interface models are used for this purpose. Overall, this creates a complete view of all applications. Interfaces are a particularly worthwhile target for automation, as an interface only needs to be defined once, from which both the providing and consuming sides can be generated to match each other.

The project is funded as part of the "German Federal Government's Artificial Intelligence Strategy".

Further information:

bauhausmobilitylab.de

The research and development project “User-Centered Mobility-as-a-Service Platform: Dynamic, Automated, Demand- & Sharing-Oriented” (MaaS L.A.B.S. for short) aims to develop innovative, digitally supported mobility services in Potsdam, Cottbus and Hanover. MaaS L.A.B.S. is shaping the transport transition through flexible and demand-oriented public transport, expanding its high-performance services with automated minibuses and combining them with new car, bike and ride-sharing services. 

This ecological, economic, social and urban-compatible transformation of our mobility system provides solutions to the challenges of climate change, pollution and traffic congestion.

The interdisciplinary MaaS L.A.B.S. project team from the social sciences, engineering and economics puts transport users at the center of its research and aims to gradually test technologies and business models in order to avoid poor planning. Four service offerings interact:

• An app informs citizens of a city about integrated mobility services (public transport and sharing services) and makes mobility planning and billing easier.
• Intelligent sharing services complement public transport to create an attractive overall service that can compete with the private car.
• Automated minibuses pick up citizens at their doorstep and thus improve access to large neighborhoods.
• Control systems ensure the smooth operation of this integrated transport system, which responds to current passenger requests according to demand and in real time.

For the first time, the MaaS L.A.B.S. system takes an in-depth look at the specific requirements of small and medium-sized cities as part of research and development. Starting in 2020, “Living Labs” (real-world laboratories) will be established in the cities of Potsdam, Cottbus and Hanover, where the services will be developed through active dialogue with the population, urban development, transport planning and policymakers. Extensive demonstrations make the technology “tangible” and shape technology and process development through step-by-step feedback processes.

As a provider of IT solutions, highQ will participate in the development of the overall system architecture of the MaaS system. In addition, highQ is significantly involved in the development of the platform's own ticketing and clearing systems as well as in the development of the MaaS app and the MaaS-D2D-Planner. 

In addition, participation in the iterative programming and testing of the interfaces between the MaaS platform and the existing decentralized platforms for fleet management and car sharing, as well as the integration of smart contract-based sharing concepts, is planned.

Consortium coordinator: Technische Hochschule Wildau

Partners:

• Fachhochschule Potsdam
• Universität Siegen
• Arbeitsgemeinschaft für sparsame Energie- und Wasserverwendung (ASEW), Lindenthal
• Cottbusverkehr GmbH, Cottbus
• GETAWAY GmbH, Berlin
• highQ Computerlösungen GmbH, Freiburg
• IVU Traffic Technologies AG, Aachen
• ViP Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam GmbH

The research and development project is funded by the BMBF for four years (May 15, 2019 – May 14, 2023) under the funding program “Individual and Adaptive Technologies for Connected Mobility”.

Via an app, road users receive individual recommendations on how they can behave in certain situations. For example, they can avoid travelling by car, make a journey outside peak hours, switch to public transport at the nearest P+R location or choose a different route. 

An incentive system is being tested that rewards road users for individually following the behavioral recommendations (“Zeitmeilen” bonus system from Zeitmeilen AG).

By shifting traffic flows through recommendations from the app, both in terms of timing and the choice of mode of transport, traffic jams are avoided, road users reach their destinations in a more relaxed manner, the environment is less burdened and metropolitan areas are relieved. The bonus system also creates additional incentives to change mobility behavior.

The project coordinator is Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (THM); Zeitmeilen (the highQ startup) is one of the cooperation partners (alongside Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, the cities of Dortmund, Frankfurt am Main and Kassel, the Frankfurt RheinMain region, as well as Trafficon - Traffic Consultants GmbH and pwp-systems GmbH.

The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) is funding the project with around two million euros as part of the mFUND research initiative.

Funding provider: Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure

Funding program Modernitätsfonds (mFUND)

Partners:

• Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
• ivm GmbH, Frankfurt am Main
• City of Dortmund
• City of Frankfurt am Main
• City of Kassel
• pwp-systems GmbH, Bad Camberg
• Trafficon - Traffic Consultants GmbH
• ZEITMEILEN AG, Berlin

Further information:

Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure

Long used in private contexts, these are also becoming increasingly important in the corporate context. Since the start of the project, highQ has been developing the SB:Digital mobility app as a practice partner (pilot application in the “Ecology and Working Hours” field):

SB:Digital is a social mobility app designed to inspire commuters to adopt ecological and healthy mobility behavior through incentives and gamification. Commuters are supported in taking social responsibility and sustainably establishing environmental protection within the corporate culture. 

By networking mobility solutions, SB:Digital makes it possible to influence commuter swarm behavior towards resource-saving behavior while taking individual needs into account. The incentive component creates enthusiasm for using SB:Digital – commuters collect time miles for resource-saving behavior (e.g. commuting together, commuting at alternative times, using public transport/bicycles/walking). 

The time miles can then be exchanged for rewards. The gamification approach also provides motivation – commuters can compare themselves in a playful way: Who has collected the most time miles and receives additional rewards?

Employers benefit because their employees get to work faster and with less stress. Infrastructure expenditure can also be reduced, e.g. through carpooling formed in the app or switching to public transport (less parking space required). In addition, using SB:Digital can improve their company's environmental footprint and generate reports showing the organization's progress towards environmentally friendly mobility behavior.

After the end of the project, the app will be marketed as an extension of our mytraQ product line under the name mytraQ.biz.

Funding provider

This research and development project is funded as part of the “Future of Work” program (FKZ 02L15A070, duration: April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2020) by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the European Social Fund (ESF) and is supervised by Projektträger Karlsruhe (PTKA). The author is responsible for the content of this publication.

Partners

• InfAI e.V.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering and Organization
• die B.I.G Social Media GmbH
• CADsys GmbH
• highQ Computerlösungen GmbH
• SNTL Publishing GmbH & Co KG.

Further information:

Institute for Applied Informatics

Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering and Organization IA

This project aimed to integrate mobility information across all modes of transport into a routing app for the Stuttgart region. Intelligent suggestions via the app could be used to redirect traffic flows (mainly car traffic), suggest alternative mobility services and show simple transfer options. 

These routing suggestions made it possible to achieve the actual objective of reducing/avoiding congestion, protecting the environment and reducing travel times.

The project has now been successfully completed and remarkable results have been achieved. One of these is the app, which uses intermodal routing and is primarily aimed at all road users while also involving car commuters. The Parkraumgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg, a parking operator, was also a project partner. 

The moveBW app includes booking options for mobility alternatives, in particular the purchase of public transport mobile tickets and the booking or reservation of parking spaces (optionally including a charging point) and shared vehicles.

The Nahverkehrsgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg (NVBW), a state-owned subsidiary, operates the mobility platform created as part of the project, which has been available for the Stuttgart region since spring 2020 and is planned to become available throughout Baden-Württemberg in the future. 

This creates a public-interest-oriented and non-discriminatory portal for bundling various data providers and providing all relevant information from regional partners for traffic management via open interfaces.

Partner: The project consortium, which existed until April 2019, was led by Robert Bosch GmbH.

Other participants:

• highQ Professional Services GmbH
• Stuttgart Media University
• MRK Management Consultants GmbH
• Nahverkehrsgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg mbH
• Parkraumgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg mbH
• Prisma Solutions GmbH
• Trafficon – Traffic Consultants GmbH

Further information:

Project summary