SMARTFREIGHT · Smart freight transport in urban areas

Goods distribution is important for businesses and the life of a city. However, the efficiency as well as the environmental impacts is negatively influenced by traffic congestion, scarcity of loading areas, sub-optimal delivery routes and too little use of return loads. The transport of dangerous goods is also a safety risk.This project will make urban freight transport more efficient, environmentally friendly and safe through smarter use of the distribution networks and improved delivery and return-load systems. The basic idea is to integrate urban traffic management systems with freight management and onboard systems.This project will try to create a win-win situation, where both city authorities and freight operators will gain. ICT will enable a co-operation between traffic and freight management operations, as a step towards an integrated urban transport system.Freight transport will be monitored and controlled through open ICT services. Traffic management measures will be tailored towards individual vehicles by means of onboard units and a wireless communication infrastructure based on CALM (the ISO framework for heterogeneous communication in mobile environments). Individual routing and control depending on the individual vehicle profile, type of cargo and traffic situation will be possible.Freight operations will benefit from access to real travel time and traffic status information. Onboard units, sensors and smart tags using CALM MAIL (enabling DSRC communication with battery-powered units) and the wireless infrastructure will enable monitoring of goods transport, loading and unloading.An architecture will specify open solutions applicable to European cities. This will be achieved by obtaining user viewpoints addressing concepts, logical relations, open ICT services and preferred technical solutions.Test sites will evaluate the technical solutions, through real and simulated application of the concepts for urban traffic and transport in cities.