Slovak satellite navigation software company Sygic has launched a smart urban mobility platform which aims to tackle the challenges of traffic congestion.
Traffic congestion is an extremely expensive problem in Europe, costing some €100bn per year, and taking a significant toll on the environment. Urban mobility accounts for some 40% of the CO2 emissions of all road transport, and up to 70% of other pollutants. Sygic’s smart urban mobility platform aims to utilise smart technologies to optimise traffic, reduce congestion, and thereby cut emissions.
Sygic has gathered expertise through the development of its navigation software, and will now apply this to a broader platform for local authorities, which collates data on how drivers and other commuters are moving through cities.
How does the platform work?
The platform gathers data from Sygic’s mobile application users, with which to provide a number of services. These include real-time predictions of traffic levels, commuter behaviour analysis and forecasts of the potential consequences of road closures and infrastructure alterations. This could prove a vital tool for local authorities in planning traffic systems to respond to these considerations.
As well as making transport more efficient, the smart urban mobility platform will allow local authorities to synchronise their systems with mobile applications for travellers, which commuters can use to plan their journeys more effectively, and plan alternative routes or explore public transport options instead of driving.
What are the company’s aims with the platform?
Radim Cmar, Sygic’s smart city solution architect, explained that the company’s ambition is to help to build the smart cities of the future. The service will allow local authorities to “design and implement their infrastructure, transport strategies, traffic management tech, and fully integratable apps.”
He added: “This platform is capable of revolutionizing how we move in and out of our cities… Our first-of-its-kind platform will allow city authorities to promote specific forms of transport at specific times, creating traffic mitigation strategies that save the city time and money. At the same time, commuters will be provided with mobile navigation apps, giving them the optimal routes all the way to their parking spot at any hour.”
