Financed under the EU Digital Europe Programme with a budget of one million euros, this coordination and support action brought together a consortium of 17 diverse partners who shared a common objective: laying the groundwork for a common data space for mobility in Europe. Through extensive stakeholder engagement activities, workshops, and surveys, the project delivered an analysis report providing a detailed examination of foundational principles, technical building blocks, and business and governance models for the creation of the common European mobility data space (EMDS). The analysis reveals multiple pathways for the evolution of the future EMDS, underlining the need for stakeholder collaboration, strengthening cybersecurity, improving interoperability, and enhancing data protection. Among the key findings there is the importance of developing a robust technical framework aligned with the generic approach for EU data spaces, and multi-level governance mechanisms, to ensure seamless data flow, trust, and discoverability across European data spaces.
This forward-thinking project aimed to transform how transportation-related data is accessed and shared across Europe, contributing to the creation of a common EMDS. The EMDS is an initiative aiming to facilitate data access, pooling, and sharing for more efficient, safe, sustainable, and resilient transport. This initiative aims to create connections that enhance daily life, offering benefits such as real-time traffic updates, access to public transportation schedules, detailed information on electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and more. The EMDS holds the potential to play a pivotal role for authorities like cities, for instance by enabling traffic management systems for congestion reduction or providing valuable insights into mobility patterns, empowering authorities to make informed, data-driven decisions. For businesses, it could enable new services, like multimodal mobility offerings, and improved processes, such as optimizing logistics chains. On 29 November 2023, the Commission adopted the Communication on the creation of the common European mobility data space, which presents the objectives and way forwards for the EMDS.
With the PrepDSpace4Mobility project concluded, progress has been made towards a brighter and more connected future for mobility. The project's in-depth analysis covers data gaps, business models, governance, legal considerations, and technical aspects of EMDS. While the governance structure and technical architecture of EMDS are pending finalization, the project results propose five potential approaches that will be carefully considered. The project highlighted the need for flexibility in a rapidly evolving context, but also for clear policy directions to ensure planning stability for stakeholders engaged in mobility data sharing initiatives.
Looking forward, building on the groundwork laid by PrepDSpace4Mobility, a deployment action named DeployEMDS has started in November 2023. This action, spanning 36 months, aims to contribute to the development of the EMDS by facilitating the creation and deployment of an operational Data Space. DeployEMDS will support real-life implementation projects across nine cities and regions, further advancing the vision of a connected and data-driven mobility landscape. In addition, a study will elaborate on the findings of PrepDSpace4Mobility, with a focus on the governance of the EMDS and the interlinking of mobility data domains.
For more information on PrepDSpace4Mobility and its achievements, you can access the final press release or visit the preparatory action’s site.