Imec releases white paper on bike data spaces

Cycling is on the rise, and so is the need for accurate cycle data! To help policymakers and practitioners understand and address this, POLIS associate member, Imec, has released a white paper on bike data spaces (BDS), exploring the challenges and opportunities of such an ecosystem.

Cycling is fast taking centre stage in European mobility policy. With the release of the European cycling declaration, this is only set to continue.

Designing effective, integrated and inclusive infrastructure and services requires high-quality data. Over the past two decades, there have been many laudable attempts to make data freely available through open data portals and interfaces.

However, one of the key challenges is the disparate and disconnected nature of current data, which obstructs and obfuscates the capacity of local authorities and planning partners to design and implement effective active travel.

“As a city, we want to have a good understanding of the development of the modal split and bicycle safety so that we can see if our efforts for cyclists are paying off in the long run and whether we are achieving our goals,” says Tim Asperges, Mobility Advisor, City of Leuven- current POLIS president, speaking to the paper authors.

Thus, bringing different bicycle datasets together in a data space makes it possible to gain more accurate insights.

The white paper focuses on its potential to address the current problems of accessing and interpreting cycling data in the EU. It highlights the benefits of data sharing and collaboration between stakeholders, including governments, bike-sharing companies, and cyclists themselves.

Read the white paper HERE