Spanish transportation technology developer and consultancy, Indra has started working on the design and development of an interoperable framework that will lay the foundations for a future European multimodal transport platform.
Indra is leading the EU-funded Connective (Connecting and Analyzing the Digital Transport Ecosystem) project that will facilitate the digital transformation of the continent’s transportation ecosystem by means of cloud-based interoperable platform on which transportation networks, services and providers will share and consume information. Due to the use of semantic interpretation technology, service providers will be able to join the ecosystem with minimum effort and cost, and make their data available to other services and users in a transparent manner. A form of the Mobility as a Service concept, the new platform will enable citizens to plan a trip and book a ticket to their destination at a single click, including private vehicle parking, as well as journeys by train, airplane, subway, tram and/or bus, and even car sharing.
The definition, development and implementation of this framework of reference, which not only comprises access to information without affecting existing systems, but also tools and development environments, will provide citizens with a fully integrated and customized transportation experience while making railway services more attractive. The goal is to facilitate multimodal travel combining different methods of public and private transportation, connecting the first and last mile in long-haul trips. Fully integrated data obtained through the new framework, and from users themselves, will provide valuable information, while big data and business analytics technology will improve the operation of the networks and the user experience.
The Connective project, which is being developed by an Indra-led consortium that includes Thales, HaCon, Diginext, Network Rail, and Ansaldo, will play a key role in Shift2Rail, the major European rail sector initiative. One of the key technologies underpinning the Connective project will be Minsait IoT Sofia2, the Internet of Things platform with big data and cloud capabilities, developed by Indra’s digital transformation unit.
“The goal of the Connective project is to facilitate the passengers’ use of trains, airplanes, buses, and subway in international routes without having to access four different reservation systems,” explained Berta Barrero, head of Indra’s transport division. “Thanks to the integration of these travel services with the support of innovative digital technologies, the user can gain access through a single point that’s transparent, simple and intuitive.”
