Mario Bellotti, Head of Marketing and Big Data Business Development VIASAT GROUP
Vem Solutions (a company of the Viasat Group, with extensive experience in the collection of mobility data), Fit Consulting (a company specializing in the provision of consultancy services in the fields of transport, mobility and logistics), and TSP- A (Telematic Service Providers Association) are the main players of an ambitious project, commissioned by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. The aimis to acquire accurate information regarding commercial vehicles within the toll-free road network – information that is functional to the beginning of a scheduled infrastructure maintenance process in relation to transit- whose focus will be, at an early stage, the Brenner area. Traditionally, the knowledge of flows data is limited to quantities: only the number of commercial vehicles passing through a certain area -and the related weight- can be traced. Even in case of extensive quantitative surveys (e.g. inventories), information is managed in such a complex way that, in most cases, is only made available to analysts many months (sometimes years) later. With the aim of focusing on quality-related aspects –such as vehicles’ final destination, possible transported goods, Euro engine class or mechanical overhaul- Vem Solutions has provided all the useful data for adequate transport planning. In fact, the use of Viasat on board satellite devices on commercial vehicles has allowed to collect a variety of operating parameters, such as position, acquisition time, engine speed and engine conditions (on / off). Thanks to this information gathering process, all the commercial vehicles crossing the Brenner pass both ways have been identified, as well as their final destination. For FIT Consulting it was therefore possible to rebuild a more complete and accurate picture of commercial vehicles flows. The database, specifically developed for the project in full compliance with the GDPR regulations, has then been integrated with the ‘qualitative’ information provided by the Motor Transport Authority relating -for example- to freight transport or engine’s Euro class. A first, a testing phase has been carried out to prove the technical feasibility of the project. A second stage will probably see the involvement of other Fleet Management companies to increase the number of samples and, as a consequence, the accuracy of surveys.