NAPCORE Mobility Data Days

The 2nd edition of the NAPCORE Mobility Data Days was hosted in Budapest between November 7 and 9, 2023. This 3-day event is the flagship moment of the EU-funded project NAPCORE. It is designed for all consortium partners to meet but also to present their latest achievements, connect with all data producers and consumers from the domain, and build a common roadmap to support mobility data accessibility. 

As one of the main partners of NAPCORE, ITxPT was represented and led several sessions. For all our members and partners who could not join us in Budapest or attend some of the sessions, discover below what our team is walking away with. 

From the different sessions and their diverse topics, we could draw some overall common conclusions that will inform the rest of ITxPT work: 

Defining and leveraging specific use-cases is key for:

  • The better understanding and appropriation of EU-standards and global technical specifications, 
  • Building data quality for datasets published on the National Access Points (NAPs) so that data producers address the needs of data consumers, 
  • Paving the way for better interoperability between all the specifications and standards within the multimodal ecosystem.

Communication should be the focus of all active stakeholders to:

  • Bring everyone together and on the same page, 
  • Disseminate what already exists (EU-standards, open specifications, open-source tools, datasets, etc.).

Community building and engagement is essential to:

  • Learn from each other,  
  • Avoid reinventing the wheel,  
  • Align for the better future of multimodal mobilities, in Europe and beyond. 

The first session we led and hosted was focused on the implementation of the EU Delegated Regulation MMTIS, its current revision and its impact on Member States. The session was built in three parts: 

  • A global introduction of the current legal and upcoming legal framework by the European Commission,  
  • An overview of three different implementation experiences ranging from local to national levels, 
  • A rapid and intense discussion between the speakers and the audience. 

The second session we led and hosted was all about the Challenges of rail interoperability within the scope of multimodal booking aspects. During the session, attendees got: 

  • A short presentation of existing specifications and standards that work on “Booking”, with most of them having a focus specific transport mode, 
  • A lively discussion between the speakers and the room on how to build seamless booking and ticketing across several modes to the benefit of travellers. 

The team also actively took part in the session that focused on roadmap for the alignment and harmonisation of NAPCORE related data exchange standards. The session had three main parts: 

  • A global introduction and overview of all data exchange standards that are used for and by NAPs, 
  • The presentation of the current work and upcoming roadmap for their alignment and harmonisation, which is where ITxPT’s contribution is key, 
  • Two examples on how to build alignment and harmonisation for existing types of information that can be covered by several specifications or standards. 

Talking about the challenges of digital transformation and how to build interoperable standards and specifications for all, the team also took part in discussions about: 

  • Digitalisation in parking and impact on the Mobility Data Space and NAPs 
  • The Standardisation of Cycling Data 

Both sessions allowed the team to reflect on ITxPT’s lessons learnt while supporting the implementation of MMTIS standards, the use of Transmodel as the backbone of standardisation, and the importance of considering data quality & labelling from the start. 

Finally, the team actively took part in the discussion of the future of NAPCORE. As all participants agreed that NAPCORE is here to stay, the key to make it work will be to fully emphasize that its future is multimodal. And, for that one, ITxPT will remain your best ally.