Big Data Policies in Transport

Big data applications in the transport sector have achieved national and EU-level interest as a driver for future economic growth and at the same time a source of concern, in terms of negative socio-economic impacts. This report reviews current policies implemented in the EU, its Member States and internationally, which support or restrict the (re-) use, linking of and sharing of data, in the context of big data techniques and in the transport sector. Also, the report illustrates in selected examples of transport-related private companies, the types of private sector policies that have been adopted or promoted.
While there are not any distinctly big data policies, each political entity has implemented some policies aimed at protecting the privacy of its citizens, encouraging data sharing among private and public sector entities, and develop policies that support the digitalization of the transport sector. Some of the key areas of policy in the transport sector are for instance the implementation of Intelligent Transport System, the increased Open Data policies, Automated Driving, and Smart Mobility.
Preceding and in light of these developments, the private sector has also moved ahead to incorporate the use of big data techniques into their own business models as process or product innovations. The potential applications in the transport sector are diverse, as digitalization is a major trend of the transport sector. The report covers six distinct transport sub-sectors, where the application of big data is or potentially could be used. The aim is to highlight the challenges and enablers of data sharing in the different cases. The cases are: Railway Operators, Open Data in the Airport Operator Context, Real-time Road Traffic Management, Big Data in Supply Chain Management, Managing Port operations, and Connected and Automated Vehicles.
The development of a policy roadmap to foster the growth of big data in transport will require an understanding of how existing policies affect the economic, political, social and legal environment for government and private actors in the transport sector. This work will be carried out Work Package 2.