Mapping and location services company Here Technologies and the City of Hamburg have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to share traffic-relevant data, with the joint goal of enhancing traffic safety and reducing noise and pollutant emissions by improving traffic flows.
The two parties aim to cooperate in various areas and to start joint projects, and as part of the partnership Hamburg will provide Here with access to up-to-date, non-personal data related to public transit, construction sites, major events and parking availability.
This will be integrated into Here’s Reality Index, its vast database of location-based information. Based on this data, both partners can jointly or separately develop services and provide information to transport users, helping them to take the best decisions and enabling Hamburg to improve its traffic management. In addition, both partners plan to co-operate on enabling automated driving in urban environments. For this, Here can provide HD Live Map, its highly-advanced map that supports autonomous driving.
In March, Hamburg submitted the German application to host the 2021 ITS World Congress to the European ITS organization ERTICO. Hamburg, which has a population of 1.8 million, plans to organize the congress together with Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. The application has strong backing beyond the city’s borders, with commitment to support the event from businesses, as well as science and industry associations. The decision on which city is to host 2021 congress will be announced at the upcoming ITS World Congress in Montreal, Canada, at the end of October.
“The partnership supports our goal to transform Hamburg into a model city for modern mobility; this will make traffic for citizens more efficient, comfortable and environmentally friendly,” explained Frank Horch, Hamburg’s Senator for Economy, Transport and Innovation. “We want to offer companies that aim to develop intelligent solutions in our city a good test field. At the same time, we will prioritize the protection of personal data in all matters.”
Leon van de Pas, SVP for the Internet of Things (IoT) at Here Technologies, said, “Our advanced location technology and precise digital maps have enormous potential to make mobility more efficient, safer and sustainable for people. Through partnerships with forward-thinking cities like Hamburg, we look forward to demonstrating the positive impact of our technology on urban life.”
