SIGN-AIR – Transforming Transportation Through a New Platform to Share Data in Multimodal Travel
The SIGN-AIR project (https://www.sesar.eu/projects/sign-air) (ID:101114845), a three-year initiative supported by the SESAR Joint Undertaking, aims to revolutionise the transport sector through an innovative solution over its duration. The kick-off meeting for the project took place on the 13-14 of June 2023, setting the stage for a collaborative work that will address the challenges of data exchange and foster seamless mobility. Through this project the consortium will create a web platform to allow Transport Service Providers of different modes to generate and monitor data sharing agreements and smart contracts and continue the efforts made in the past project SYN+AIR, which focused on air transportation and multimodality.
The SIGN-AIR project is born from the need for connected networks that meet the travel needs of individuals when moving in a seamless way. However, the exchange of data among Transport Service Providers (TSPs), transport authorities, and users has posed challenges due to varying needs, lack of uniformity in data standards, and trust issues. With the European Union gradually imposing regulations to standardise and harmonise data standards across member states, the SIGN-AIR project emerges as a pivotal initiative in shaping the future of transportation through a B2B2C approach, prioritising the end goal of benefiting travellers, and building an interoperable web application equipped with contract templating, communication tools, monitoring dashboards, and APIs for contract triggers and Travel Companions (TCs).
At the core of the SIGN-AIR project is the goal to develop, deploy and test the SIGN-AIR platform in a real environment. To achieve that the project will develop a match making mechanism to discover the required data to be exchanged between two TSPs, design contract templates to simplify the legal management, the electronic management and information provision about each specific contract, routing information for TCs with enriched information about the specific contracts for their customers. The ultimate aim is to facilitate collaboration of TSPs to achieve among other data standardisation and digitalization, single ticketing, disruption management, synchronisation of their data, through a comprehensive understanding of the contracts and the data managed, among others.
The meeting highlighted the significance of standardised data for the project’s monitoring dashboard, which can be achieved using tools like TransiTool. While operators have expressed hesitancy in adopting standards due to trust and complexity concerns, SIGN-AIR will address these issues through fair contracts, clarity in regulations, and tools for data standardisation. By promoting trust and providing clarity, the project fosters collaboration and data sharing among TSPs. The project promotes data sharing through model contractual clauses and smart contracts at the EU level, allowing for B2B data sharing that adheres to European and national requirements, including GDPR regulations.
SIGN-AIR seeks to enhance operations of the Total Airport Manager, and improve intermodality to assist in the transition from a flight-centric Air Traffic Management (ATM) to a passenger-centric ATM, embracing a multimodal approach.
The project is led by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and will be developed in collaboration with SPA, UB-FTTE, FD, AETHON, ENAC, EPF, CARNET, Timelex, ATM, STA, BLQ, TPER, SAP, HSP and AMTU, combining institutions from the Research, Academia, Transport Industry, ICT and Legal sectors and spread across 7 countries in Europe (Spain, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Serbia and Greece).
As the SIGN-AIR project begins, it marks a new era of multimodality and collaborative efforts towards seamless mobility. The project intends to make a significant impact on the transportation landscape, paving the way for a future where citizens can easily navigate multimodal journeys, experience seamless services, and enjoy a more efficient and streamlined transportation system.
