Overview
This project has taken up the challenge to gain more insight into the complex relation between freight transport and welfare. It has used the knowledge and experience of the three teams involved. The UFSIA team has investigated, on the one hand, how companies and shippers of goods choose a transportation mode (road, rail, inland navigation or combinations) and how this choice can be influenced.
On the other hand, it has looked into the question of how freight mobility has an impact on (regional) economic growth. The UCL/UFSIA team has analysed the role of infrastructure for sustainable freight mobility. FUCAM has developed a very detailed virtual network (NODUS), which makes it possible to identify the different streams of commodity flows, and the costs generated by freight transport on this network. The combination and integration of the research of the teams results in a better understanding of the complex interrelation among freight transport, infrastructure, costs (external and internal) and economic growth.
The goal of the SMIS is to develop, through the Internet network, a user friendly information tool about mobility.
The main objective is to guide all potential users to information and data related to transport and sustainable mobility in Belgium. In particular, the SMIS helps researchers and governmental authorities and other actors active in the field of sustainable mobility to find data sources (persons, institutions, activities, products,...) related to their fields of activity. The system covers several disciplines involved in sustainable mobility (economic, institutional, sociologic, environmental); it is a first step to make the needed bridge between usually normally separated disciplines and actors (governmental, economical, society, researchers,...). At the same time, it offers information to those who deliver input to the SMIS database on the status of the collected information, and the possibility to present their information. The SMIS offers also understanding of possible information gaps in the research activities or research knowledge required to set up policies in the field of sustainable mobility.
The project presents three aspects: first the contents and its format, and also a technical aspect to ensure the interactive and user friendly character of the system.
In the first phase, a consistent definition of a metadata record related to sustainable mobility is defined, based on literature, international standards and technical meetings with the project participants and government officials. The contents dimension of the project is formed by the collection of all relevant information related to sustainable mobility in Belgium (federal, regional, provincial and municipal government level; universities, research institutes, libraries) as well as international; the collected data is then transposed in the selected standard. The technical dimension of the project consists of the development of a relational database based on the SMIS standard; to build an Internet site using available tools and in line with international accepted standards; and the link between the two allowing the database to be queried by a browser (resulting in dynamic HTML pages).
In a later phase site-specific software will be developed allowing the browser to define complex queries in a straightforward way.
Potential users: all persons looking for accurate information or susceptible to deliver accurate information about transport and sustainable mobility in Belgium.
Link to Sustainable Development: the SMIS will be a part of a greater project of the OSTC called 'Sustainable Development Metadatabase', this is the reason why our metadata standard is compatible with the standard chosen for this project. Transport is a world-wide problem, it is responsible for many problems such as atmospheric pollution, traffic jams, non-renewable energy consumption.
Transport is one of the major goals for the coming years. To try to solve this problem we need, in order to develop efficient policies, to dispose of relevant information, which is the role of the Sustainable Mobility Information System.
Funding
Results
Collection of all relevant information in French, Dutch and English to sustainable mobility in Belgium, as well as international. Development of a database, with HTML pages to be queried by research workers to find relevant sources of data.
Policy implications
A system to help decision making and Belgian mobility experts.
Freight:
The tool developed by this research concerns the mobility of freight and looks at optimal ways for its transport. It analyses as well how freight infrastructure can impact on regional growth and sustainable development.
Decision-support tools:
The sustainable mobility information system (SMIS) has been built to support governmental authorities to find decision supporting information. Furthermore, the databse is useful for all persons looking for accurate information related to federal, regional and municipal level. The data is transposed into the selected standard language.
Information and awareness:
The SMIS will be part of a greater project, called the Sustainable Development Metadatabase. It functions through the internet. It is user oriented. Over 4000 records of metadata are now enrolled in the database, sites are checked for correctness.
Freight
The tool developed by this research concerns the mobility of freight and looks at optimal ways for its transport. It analyses as well how freight infrastructure can impact on regional growth and sustainable development.
Decision-support tools
The sustainable mobility information system (SMIS) has been built to support governmental authorities to find decision supporting information. Furthermore, the databse is useful for all persons looking for accurate information related to federal, regional and municipal level. The data is transposed into the selected standard language.
Information and awareness
The SMIS will be part of a greater project, called the Sustainable Development Metadatabase. It functions through the internet. It is user oriented. Over 4000 records of metadata are now enrolled in the database, sites are checked for correctness.
Intelligent Transport Systems
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