One of Germany’s leading developers of transportation planning and operations software systems has partnered with its home city to establish a Smart City demonstration center, and deploy a predictive traffic management system for the region.
At an event marking the opening of the company’s newly refurbished headquarters in Karlsruhe, Vincent Kobesen (above left), CEO of the PTV Group, and the city’s Mayor, Dr Frank Mentrup (above right), announced closer cooperation for the development of Smart Mobility systems that will be introduced the Karlsruhe Technology Region. PTV is investing in a new exhibition and demonstration room at its HQ, called the ‘Mobility Lab’, where interested parties from around the world can experience at first-hand the new Karlsruhe smart mobility concepts in a virtual environment. The partnership hopes that the project will help enhance Karlsruhe’s growing reputation as the leading Smart City in Germany and market the region and its technologies internationally.
As part of the cooperation, PTV has announced that it will assist the city of Karlsruhe with the development of a modern, real-time traffic information system, which will include prediction software for vehicle flow, and a data platform. The project includes the integration of the city’s real-time data into PTV’s Optima platform, which will be used to support the region’s traffic management in real time. Both parties are keen to point out that Karlsruhe’s existing city traffic management unit will continue to maintain operational control of the proposed system and the actual day-to-day traffic management operations across the region. The coordination of the actual tasks related to the agreement started at the end of June, and the conditions and precise implementation of the plan are currently being formulated jointly. PTV’s goal is to go live with the new Karlsruhe real-time traffic prediction platform at the start of 2017.
At the dedication of the modernized PTV building, there was a podium discussion on ‘The future of mobility in the Karlsruhe region’, during which PTV’s CEO, Vincent Kobesen, said, “We want Karlsruhe to become the model exemplar of what is a Smart City. It will also act as an international flagship project. We will invest to support our local region. We will continue to enhance our transport planning and traffic management software, and jointly contribute toward establishing a state-of-the-art traffic prediction platform in Karlsruhe’s traffic center. We already have agreements from leading data suppliers to supply this flagship project with appropriate traffic information and mobility data. The city will retain responsibility on the traffic management measures that will ultimately be implemented. We stand ready to assist the city in planning measures and simulating their possible effects to encourage smart, real-time decision making.”
Mentrup commented, “I greatly appreciate the PTV Group’s great commitment to its home town. As a world market leader, and with its recognized reputation as an experienced traffic and transport specialist, PTV will help us establish Karlsruhe as the model of a Smart City on the international stage.”
