Cities occupy only 3% of the earth's surface, but are inhabited by more than 4.3 billion people, according to data from the United Nations (UN) and the World Bank.
According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) "mobility is a fundamental human need and an essential factor for prosperity, but the current mobility paradigm is not sustainable". Today, transportation accounts for around 25% of the EU's total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In order to reduce this percentage, targets of at least a 55% reduction in transport-related GHGs by 2030 and 90% by 2050 have been set. This must also be accompanied by a reduced environmental impact and associated loss of biodiversity.
In the next decade, the mobility sector will be geared towards sustainability based on digitalization with an increasing tendency to place the user at the center of policy and the solutions created.
The road to sustainability in the mobility sector requires multidisciplinary research and innovation in the search for solutions that promote cohesion, reduce inequality between urban and rural areas and improve connectivity. More environmentally friendly solutions are needed to meet the challenge of zero emissions.
Digitalization is the key to change in the transport sector and will lead to efficiency, through solutions such as Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), automated mobility, Mobility as a Service (MaaS), etc. The digital transition will place data sharing as a fundamental requirement for Europe to achieve efficient connectivity, leading to open questions about governance, cybersecurity and open science. Digital infrastructure (5G and beyond 5G) will be a key enabler, as will the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies.
It is in this context that local authorities have a key role to play in creating solutions to manage cities in a more efficient and, consequently, less polluting way.
We now know that the increase in population in urban areas has led to an increase in traffic caused by the movement of people and goods, as well as an increase in pollution, noise and a reduction in the availability of parking spaces, leading to a reduction in the population's quality of life.
As the primary objective of any city council is the well-being of its citizens, and as this is jeopardized by issues related to mobility, this issue becomes one of the most pressing for any municipality.
There is therefore an urgent need to create solutions capable of tackling the real day-to-day problems faced by residents, such as: creating urban shared mobility fleet models and encouraging the optimization of the use of clean energies in electric mobility, developing a multimodal and multi-operator mobility management platform with real-time location and creating knowledge about the users of solutions in the Smart City ecosystem and their technological needs.
DNS Testbed offers solutions for testing and developing sensor-based vehicle detection, communication gateways, digital parking signs, payment kiosks and mobile applications for drivers. These solutions make it possible to put pilot products on the market that can help reduce the time users spend looking for vacant parking spaces and automate the process of finding the ideal parking space.