Simacan/TransFollow wint hoofdprijs in de TransportLAB Challenge 2017

Application to prevent further damage after an accident involving a truck with hazardous substances

AMSTERDAM  May 2017 – The ceremony marking the end of the second online TransportLAB Challenge at Prodock Amsterdam was held last week. Besides the pitches and inspiring masterclasses, this year’s winners, with the best solution(s) for today’s and future logistical challenges, were also announced at the end of the afternoon. Simacan/TransFollow won the grand prize with their logistical solution.

TransportLAB Challenge 2017: A quick look at the three winners 
The grand prize was awarded to the association Simacan-Innovatiecentrale-TransFollow with their application for traffic coordination centres, in which the control tower at Simacan is connected with TransFollow’s digital (e-CMR) freight note and the emergency services are given direct feedback about the load on the lorry involved in an accident. This is essential when dealing with trucks transporting hazardous substances and the serious consequences that can occur. With such feedback road authorities are able to equip emergency aid workers with the right material and decide more quickly whether or not to reopen the carriageway. TransportLAB and the Simacan trio will be discussing in more detail how this first prize can be usefully applied, such as additional funding or further development of the system within the framework of e.g. Talking Traffic initiatives.

The second prize was awarded to Made for Traffic/Hans van der Made with their BlauwBlauw application. This solution acts to boost the safety of the emergency services out on the road, by warning car drivers more rapidly of emergency vehicles approaching from the side or behind. Of course, there is no doubt that most car drivers are in favour of this. The technical side of the application also appears to be at a sufficient level. However, the jury believes that the business model needs to be investigated more closely, in order to reach a realistic proposition of a sufficient scale. BlauwBlauw wins a free innovation-afternoon, run by a combination of CGI and TransportLAB experts.

The third prize went to CWI (Mathematics & Informatics Centre – a team of VU students led by Dr. Elenna Dugundji). These students made a tremendous number of statistical calculations using available port data and, in doing so, made a video feed of shipping movement in the Port of Amsterdam. This forms a sound basis for the creation of a predictive simulation tool aimed at avoiding bottlenecks in future entry and exit shipping lanes. However, many additional activities will still be required before such a predictive model is achieved. The Port of Amsterdam has agreed to continue working with the CWI.

Source: TransportLAB Challenge