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Research Project

Real-time analytics and crowdsourcing for self-organized urban logistics

(carried out at the TU Munich)

Logo ExCELL

Context

Mobility services such as car sharing or routing are widespread for end users and large companies. From mobile applications for intermodal travel to car sharing concepts for companies, there is a wide variety of offerings. However, these are often not suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Often, services for end users do not meet companies' reliability requirements or cannot be integrated into business processes. In addition, services for large companies require economies of scale that cannot be realized in SMEs due to their size.

Project Goal

The aim of the project is to develop a platform that enables integrated mobility services for SMEs. Based on location, traffic and operational data, a crowdsourcing approach ensures decentralized, flexible, and up-to-date mobility services. With the help of these services, SMEs can improve their inner-city logistics processes.

Implementation

To achieve the project goal, a platform is being developed that integrates data from various project partners, applies scalable data mining methods to process the data, and makes the processed data available for mobile applications. In addition, several exemplary mobile applications will demonstrate how SMEs can improve their logistics using data hosted on the platform. The platform and mobile services are being deployed in a field test in the city of Dresden.

The project will be carried out in three successive iterations, each of which will refine and improve the project deliverables. The first iteration will result in an initial deployable version of the crowdsourcing platform and exemplar mobile applications. The second and third implementations improve the platform, integrating feedback from the field testing. Each iteration includes three phases: Concept, Development, and Evaluation phase. Throughout the project, a continuous communication phase ensures that all relevant stakeholders are informed about the realized project results.

Work Packages

  • Identification of user needs and development of scenarios
  • Concept development for a crowdsourcing platform that enables self-organized urban logistics
  • Scalable data mining and data management on the crowdsourcing platform
  • Creation and management of a community on the crowdsourcing platform
  • Development and deployment of mobile applications
  • Field testing to evaluate the concept and the platform

Benefit

The project shows how heterogeneous data sources can be aggregated and integrated on one platform to enable data-driven services - it transforms Big Data into Smart Data.

The architecture of the platform with its user interfaces and governance mechanisms is a facilitator for integrated service providers, business customers, end users and public administration. The entire ecosystem can benefit from the data hosted on the platform and continuously generate more data. The data management technologies developed, as well as the platform architecture, create value beyond the ExCELL project. Through a reference model, the platform can be deployed in other cities or regions and adapted to data-driven contexts other than mobility.

Project Results

The results of the project have been published as an anthology: "Management digitaler Plattformen".

Location & approach

The campus of TU Dort­mund University is located close to interstate junction Dort­mund West, where the Sauerlandlinie A 45 (Frankfurt-Dort­mund) crosses the Ruhrschnellweg B 1 / A 40. The best interstate exit to take from A 45 is "Dort­mund-Eichlinghofen" (closer to Campus Süd), and from B 1 / A 40 "Dort­mund-Dorstfeld" (closer to Campus Nord). Signs for the uni­ver­si­ty are located at both exits. Also, there is a new exit before you pass over the B 1-bridge leading into Dort­mund.

To get from Campus North to Campus South by car, there is the connection via Vogelpothsweg/Baroper Straße. We recommend you leave your car on one of the parking lots at Campus North and use the H-Bahn (suspended monorail system), which conveniently connects the two campuses.

TU Dort­mund University has its own train station ("Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät"). From there, suburban trains (S-Bahn) leave for Dort­mund main station ("Dort­mund Hauptbahnhof") and Düsseldorf main station via the "Düsseldorf Airport Train Station" (take S-Bahn number 1, which leaves every 20 or 30 minutes). The uni­ver­si­ty is easily reached from Bochum, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Duisburg.

You can also take the bus or subway train from Dort­mund city to the uni­ver­si­ty: From Dort­mund main station, you can take any train bound for the Station "Stadtgarten", usually lines U41, U45, U 47 and U49. At "Stadtgarten" you switch trains and get on line U42 towards "Hombruch". Look out for the Station "An der Palmweide". From the bus stop just across the road, busses bound for TU Dort­mund University leave every ten minutes (445, 447 and 462). Another option is to take the subway routes U41, U45, U47 and U49 from Dort­mund main station to the stop "Dort­mund Kampstraße". From there, take U43 or U44 to the stop "Dort­mund Wittener Straße". Switch to bus line 447 and get off at "Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät S".

The H-Bahn is one of the hallmarks of TU Dort­mund University. There are two stations on Campus Nord. One ("Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät S") is directly located at the suburban train stop, which connects the uni­ver­si­ty directly with the city of Dort­mund and the rest of the Ruhr Area. Also from this station, there are connections to the "Technologiepark" and (via Campus Süd) Eichlinghofen. The other station is located at the dining hall at Campus Nord and offers a direct connection to Campus Süd every five minutes.

The AirportExpress is a fast and convenient means of transport from Dort­mund Airport (DTM) to Dort­mund Central Station, taking you there in little more than 20 minutes. From Dort­mund Central Station, you can continue to the university campus by interurban railway (S-Bahn). A larger range of in­ter­na­tio­nal flight connections is offered at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which is about 60 kilometres away and can be directly reached by S-Bahn from the university station.

The departments of TU Dort­mund University are spread over two campuses, the larger Campus North and the smaller Campus South. Additionally, some areas of the university are located in the adjacent "Technologiepark".

Street navigation from and to the TU Dortmund University:

OpenStreetMap Routing Machine

The document and the graphic represent the motorways and federal highways around the TU Dortmund University in a very simplified way:

Environment map (PDF)

Environment map (graphic)

This interactive map helps you find and navigate between facilities and buildings on campus:

Interactive campus map

This document contains a simple campus map in German and English:

Campus map (PDF)