New research and development project OMI
In the new research and development project OMI (open mobility infrastructure), an open mobility infrastructure is to be developed that enables the deployment of new shared mobility offerings, connects existing offerings, and offers users a mobility experience that includes all services. The project is supported by the ‘Institut für Verbraucherinformatik’ (IVI) at the ‘Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg’.
One of the biggest tasks in the context of the mobility transition is the change from motorized individual transport to demand-oriented mobility. Shared mobility offers do have the potential to become an important driver of this change. However, existing obstacles on the supply and demand side complicate the necessary paradigm shift. Local players mainly do not have the technological infrastructure to provide the shared mobility services, while commercial providers offer their vehicles mainly in urban areas. In addition, users face the challenge of a complex coordination process using various apps. There is not yet an overall concept that connects existing services such as public transport.
The project OMI creates a digital infrastructure consisting of three human-technology interfaces and a middleware. Local players can provide shared mobility services via a self-service portal and users receive an app (mobility assistant), which offers seamless access to the region’s entire mobility services and turns the smartphone into a digital vehicle key. Furthermore, existing offers are connected via open interfaces, thus creating a mobility experience that spans all offers.
Our IVI is one of the project partners and coordinates user acceptance and transfer in the project. Additionally, we have a research focus in the area of machine learning for user-centered mobility planning, support the development process in this area and are responsible for the empirical requirements survey of end users in the context of modern shared mobility offers.
The research and development project is funded by the ‘Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung’ (BMBF) for three years from September 1, 2021. The total funding volume of the project is around 0.7 million Euros. The project consortium consists of two universities (‘Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg’ and ‘Universität Siegen’) and two companies (Reboot Mobility GmbH and open.INC GmbH).
