Modern cities face a wide range of challenges in improving economic accessibility for their employers, the environment, and livability for their residents and visitors. Logistics Community Brabant and Argaleo have jointly developed the Atlas Accessible City. Through a digital 3D dashboard, governments, transport companies, and businesses gain insight into today’s accessibility and tomorrow’s possibilities.
Cities and provinces face a number of challenges when it comes to improving accessibility. These include improving and building cycling routes, MaaS (Mobility as a Service), fleet electrification, and logistics hubs. With the rise of technological innovations and the growing demand for data-driven operations, many parties are focusing on challenges around data collection, storage, and governance.
From data to insight
LCB and Argaleo take an alternative approach, where the translation of data into useful information, insights, and knowledge takes center stage. The Atlas contains all available public data sources as its foundation, combined in a digital 3D environment. In addition, concrete insights are derived from policy-related issues. For example, the walking distance to all bus stops in Noord-Brabant or the cycling accessibility of schools. “With a data-driven approach, we have gained better insight into the opportunities for improving and expanding a high-quality cycling network,” says Rogier Heijltjes, Cycling Program Manager for the province of Noord-Brabant. The Atlas is made available to governments, transport companies, and businesses for introduction and knowledge sharing, with the goal of building a learning community.
Cycling accessibility of train stations in Noord-Brabant
Innovation in the “triple helix”
According to LCB, the Atlas Accessible City is the new platform for its affiliated knowledge institutions, including Eindhoven University of Technology, Tilburg University, the Netherlands Defence Academy, and Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas), to connect their developed knowledge to the accessibility challenges of cities and provinces. In addition to substantive expertise in accessibility and spatial development, a collaboration with JADS (Jheronimus Academy of Data Science) has been established. According to Joost de Kruijf, the creator of the Atlas, this collaboration offers additional opportunities through the integration of relevant data-related knowledge and innovations.
The collaboration with Argaleo is essential in the creation of the Atlas Livable City. Argaleo works with other organizations that recognize the value of 3D data visualizations and want to showcase their knowledge within them. On challenges such as intellectual property, Jeroen Steenbakkers of Argaleo is also clear: “the only way parties are willing to share knowledge and data is when it remains with the rightful owner.”
Walking time to bus stop in Rosmalen
Expanding the Atlas
In the coming period, a number of interesting additions will be made to the Atlas Accessible City, specifically in the area of cycling from the BUas Urban Intelligence research group. These include cycling network performance with cyclist counts, speeds, delays, and route quality based on counting and floating cycling data. With this, LCB and its knowledge partners hope to develop both national and international community learning in the field of the Accessible City. As more parties participate, the power of the Atlas only grows.
Office accessibility in Eindhoven
“With a data-driven approach, we have gained better insight into the opportunities for improving and expanding a high-quality cycling network.”Rogier Heijltjes, Cycling Program Manager for the province of Noord-Brabant.
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