More safety, sustainability, flexibility, and efficiency in road traffic. The “TIMON” project (enhanced real TIme services for optimized multimodal MObility relying on cooperative Networks and open data) can make this idea a reality. TIMON is being executed by Fraunhofer ESK and partners from seven other European countries and is being funded as part of the EU’s “Horizon 2020” program.

The aim of the project is to develop a hybrid communication system that bundles open transport data and information from infrastructure sensors and road users. The collected data is distributed strategically to vehicle drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists in the area affected. This “cooperative ecosystem” is intended to considerably reduce traffic jams, accident hazards, and environmental impact by using artificial intelligenceto forecast traffic jams or calculate suitable routes, for example. An open web platform and a mobile application are used for collecting, harmonizing, and evaluating the data. The information is distributed via a hybrid communication system that uses different means of communication adaptively to call up information in real time and to allow it to be distributed over a wide geographic area. Available communication resources and partners are permanently monitored and evaluated. The necessary algorithms and software are being developed by Fraunhofer ESK.

The communication systems developed within the TIMON project are being tested using simulations and field tests in road traffic and on test tracks in order to find out what they can do and where their limits lie.