The SHOW Project and the future of mobility
A first step towards mobility automation, connected infrastructure and fully collaborative traffic management
SHOW stands for SHared automation Operating models for Worldwide adoption.
It is an EU funded project led by UITP, the International Association of Public Transport, which supports and promotes sustainable transport in urban areas worldwide.
Sustainable Urban Mobility
The SHOW project aims to support the migration path towards sustainable and efficient urban transport through technical solutions, business models and priority scenarios for impact assessment. This is achieved by implementing shared, connected and electric fleets of autonomous vehicles in coordinated Public Transport (PT), Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and Logistics as a Service (LaaS) operational chains in real-life urban demonstrations in 5 mega, 6 satellite and 3 follower pilot projects in 20 cities across Europe.
SWARCO participates in the project with a main focus on connected infrastructure and collaborative traffic management. As part of the SHOW project team, SWARCO will explore the evolution of road infrastructure and traffic management towards autonomous driving within the scope of a pilot project in Turin. SHOW pilot projects will run for 24 months, with an operational service in each pilot lasting for at least 12 months with autonomous vehicle fleets serving more than 1,500,000 passengers and 350,000 freight units.
The Importance of Connected Traffic Infrastructure for Automated Driving
The operation of a fully automated vehicle does not only rely on the technical development of the vehicle itself. Connectivity between infrastructure and vehicles is also necessary to ensure optimal operational conditions during the transition period. That is, until vehicles can operate completely on their own. This transition will probably take decades, since AVs rely on the availability of all traffic relevant static and dynamic information in digital form.
In addition, collaborative traffic management schemes can significantly improve the throughput performance of the road network by exploiting 2-way communication, i.e. the interaction between vehicle and traffic management system. For this reason, a minimum set of data needs to be shared between vehicle and infrastructure to ensure a seamless travel experience. The development of collaborative traffic management is a prerequisite for the successful deployment of automated driving.