2024 FFG Success Story: D-Tras (Digital Platform for Traffic Safety-Risk Prediction in Rural Area)
Rural areas present a higher risk because of their winding roads and unpredictable changes in road conditions. Drivers of cars and motorcycles must rely on their knowledge and experience to navigate these areas. But what happens when road and weather conditions change and affect driving conditions?
To increase awareness and reaction time, an information platform has been developed to alert motorcyclists and car drivers to risks while driving, including road works, sharp bends or particularly dangerous sections of the road where accidents have already been recorded.
Collect traffic information and warn of traffic risks
The D-TRAS project developed a modular, expandable, cloud-based digital platform that can collect and process information from various data sources, such as mobility data marketplaces or weather databases, via various services. This platform also processes information from vehicle and cell phone sensors that users provide when they are on the road.
This information about road safety is used to calculate traffic risks. These risks are based on time and location. The risks include factors such as road course, weather, temperature, and time of day. This information helps warn road users in rural areas of potential dangers. These warnings are sent to the road user’s mobile app through a web interface. The warnings are displayed according to speed and direction of travel.
Validation study in Germany and Austria
A five-month study was performed in Styria (Austria) and Harz (Germany) to test and evaluate the approach developed in the project. This approach was implemented in the platform and in the respective mobile apps for motorcyclists and car drivers. The study involved over 100 participants. In addition, the requirements for a broad commercial use of this approach were examined. Strategies and possibilities for a successful business model were analyzed and developed.
As part of this study, 1.6 million safety-related events were calculated in the platform. Of these, 10,500 location- and situation-based alerts were displayed to motorcyclists and car drivers in the mobile applications during this period.
Project coordination (Story)
Manfred Rosenberger
Senior Researcher
Virtual Vehicle Research GmbH
T +43 (316) 873 9085
manfred.rosenberger@v2c2.at
Project partner:
• University of Göttingen, Germany
• Caruso GmbH, Germany
• NEXT Data Service AG, Germany
• motobit GmbH, Austria
Disclaimer
In Austria the project D-TRAS was funded by the program “IKT der Zukunft” of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action.
Virtual Vehicle Research GmbH has received funding within COMET Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies from the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, the Austrian Federal Ministry for Labour and Economy, the Province of Styria (Dept. 12) and the Styrian Business Promotion Agency (SFG). The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) has been authorised for the programme management.