NaMIx project makes data usable for sustainable mobility on site
Kick-off meeting for the NaMIx research project - An index for sustainable mobility to assess location-based mobility potential
In order to combat climate change and advance the mobility transition, more measures are needed that have a local impact. This includes, for example, creating sufficient offers for local people that make it possible to do without their own car.
For the planning and development of new residential areas, but also for the marketing of existing buildings, this means taking greater account of the sustainability aspects of the surrounding area. Here it is particularly important to understand what possibilities a location offers for people to reach it in an environmentally friendly way - the so-called mobility potential. It is not possible to deduce from the existing indices how good this potential is at a location and where improvements should be made.
Existing data is often complex, widely scattered and difficult for laypersons to understand. Information on local amenities, which is crucial for the assessment of pedestrian and cycling friendliness, can be found in other databases than information on how good the public transport connection is or which sharing offers are available.
This is where the NaMIx - Sustainable Mobility Index research project, which was launched on 1 July 2022, comes in to assess location-based mobility potential. NaMIx is being funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) with a total of 100,000 euros as part of the mFUND innovation initiative. The DLR Institute of Transport Research and Veomo Mobility GmbH are working together on the project for eleven months. Together, they are collating existing data, processing it and integrating it into a single measure. This metric is intended to describe the potential of individual buildings, but also entire neighbourhoods, for sustainable mobility. Possible indicators for this include, for example, the cycle-friendliness of a neighbourhood, the journey time to the city centre or the number of supermarkets in the vicinity of the location. A scale from 0 to 100 or categories (e.g. from A to G, similar to the energy performance certificate) are conceivable for the index.
The Sustainable Mobility Index should make it possible to quickly and easily recognise the possibilities for environmentally friendly transport in a location. This provides local authorities with a tool for organising mobility offers and services in a socially equitable way so that everyone has the same minimum requirements for sustainable mobility. The index can also support the development of new residential areas or location decisions
The research project is based on the collection of existing mobility indices and indicators from reports and scientific publications. Suitable indicators are then selected. The aim is to use indicators that best reflect environmentally friendly, resource-efficient, low-emission and socially equitable mobility. The indicators are converted into well-documented calculation scripts. Once the necessary input data is available, every user should be able to obtain the required information quickly and with little effort. To calculate the overall index, the key figures are converted into comparable values. They are weighted according to their importance for sustainable mobility.
As part of the project, the index will be calculated for a neighbourhood in the city of Munich as an example. The team is also involving potential users in the process. Finally, business models are being developed for various target groups and use cases. Specifically, the issuing of a mobility certificate is to be tested, which - similar to the energy certificate for buildings - makes it clear at first glance to what extent environmentally friendly mobility is possible at a location.
The project launch is open to the public and will take place online on Thursday, 22 September 2022, from 10:00 to approx. 11:30. You are cordially invited and can register at https://dlr.expert/namix-auftakt until 20 September 2
About the mFUND of the BMDV:
As part of the mFUND innovation initiative, the BMDV has been funding data-based research and development projects for the digital and networked mobility of the future since 2016. Project funding is complemented by active professional networking between stakeholders from politics, business, administration and research. Open data is made available via the Mobilithek. Further information can be found at www.mFUND.de.
