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Presenting the GitHub page of Open Source Lab

Initiated by the Sustainability Council of Volkswagen AG, the Open Source Lab for Sustainable Mobility developed a number of digital outputs and prototypes with the aim to make them available as true open source resources for the global open source community. In order for these assets to be openly available into the future, their components […] more

Tool
Photo by Richard Balog on Unsplash

Is the Open Internet at Risk?

How much does the Internet mean to us? Without thinking too much, it is a fundamental tool of our culture, economy and society, and the very idea of a day in our life without the internet would be chaotic. Therefore, we are not wrong saying that the universal system is fully integrated by the great network of networks, everything within reach of click. more

Photo by Greg Bakker on Unsplash

Sustainable Immobility?

In times of the coronavirus we all stay more at home much more, mobility becomes immobility. Immobility can also be sustainable. The City of Hamburg is trying to prove that, in a different way, then you might imagine at first. Let me present two interesting projects to you. Part I: green.fACade, the air-cleaning building facade more

Visualization

Farewell EUREF Campus

It was recently time for us to move out of our offices at EUREF Campus after about one and a half years. We are now located at the DFKI project offices in Moabit. more

Photo by Andrew Gook on Unsplash

Pop-up Cycle Paths in Bogotá

The corona crisis is leading to a change in mobility in many places. This is mainly happening in cities, where people are adapting their daily commute to the crisis and switching to the bicycle. This is a very sustainable form of mobility for health and the environment, to which the traffic planners in Bogotá have responded brilliantly. more

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

PEPP-PT – Open Data helps to stop Corona

In the fight against the COVID 19 pandemic, the use of mobile phone data is controversial, especially in Europe. A team of scientists and companies from eight European countries is currently developing "Pan-European Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing" (PEPP-PT) - the technological basis for a European anti-corona app. In contrast to Asian apps, the privacy of users is respected and protected. more

Visualization

New Prototype: Sustainable Mobility Kit

Building a shared vision is central to partnership building, participatory democracy and transformational innovation. Introducing a new way to inspire discussion and imagine urban transport transformations. more

Tool
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

The Thicket of Ship Emissions

Cruise ships consume a lot of electricity even when they are not moving. As long as they are in port, they could be supplied with shore power, and thereby significantly reduce emissions. But shore power is expensive and in some places not a truly sustainable benefit. more

Photo by Trevor Cole on Unsplash

Financial Earmarking Increases Social Equity

In recent decades, motorized traffic has increased significantly worldwide. Especially in large metropolises, the high number of has become a massive problem with negative effects on the quality of life, the environment, climate and economic development. With the help of the UN, Kenya is investing in the expansion of footpaths and cycle paths and is increasing social equity be earmarking more

Visualization
Collabathon 2019 - Pic 1

Collaborative Hackathon for a Global Climate “Accounting” System

The international collaborative hackathon (or “Collabathon”) for a Global Climate Accounting system started on Saturday 16 November and has been going on for two weeks. Following an initiative of the Yale Open Lab, a kick-off weekend took place in 6 nodes around the world including a node in Berlin. The DFKI Open Source Lab for Sustainable Mobility participated and supported the event. The more

Event
Photo by Sebastian Pichler on Unsplash

Above the Clouds-Part III: Demand Me! Will You?

In the last three weeks, I've been on the road a lot, out of a total of eleven changes of location I've done a whole nine by plane. This is a good reason for me to take a closer look at the current price war and its influence on traveling above the clouds. Within the framework of a small mini-series, I will deal above all with the phenomenon of "cheap flying" in German and European travel as more

Policy
Photo by Benjamin Suter on Unsplash

Above the Clouds- Part II: The Railway Traffic as a Competitor and Ecological Alternative

In the last three weeks, I've been on the road a lot, out of a total of eleven changes of location I've done a whole nine by plane. This is a good reason for me to take a closer look at the current price war and its influence on traveling above the clouds. Within the framework of a small mini-series, I will deal above all with the phenomenon of "cheap flying" in German and European travel as more

Visualization
Photo by Edu Lauton on Unsplash

Flying with Zero Emissions?

What would the Wright Brothers have said in 1903 if someone had told them that their invention would one day fly 350 people across the Atlantic in less than six hours? The word “impossible” seems very likely to me. Perhaps in another 100 years airplanes will hover quietly and emission-free through the sky and fly completely electrically, which still seems unthinkable today. more

Technology
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

Above the Clouds-Part I: Price War

In the last three weeks, I've been on the road a lot, from a total of eleven changes in my location I've done a whole nine by plane. This is a good reason for me to take a closer look at the current price war and its influence on travelling above the clouds. Within the framework of a small mini-series, I will deal above all with the phenomenon of "cheap flying" in German and European travel more

Visualization

Climathon Countdown: Our Open Data Supporters

The countdown is on: there are only a couple of days left until the global event Climathon starts. We will be participating as hosts of the challenge "Berlin on the Move - How can data help make urban mobility more sustainable?" and compete against three other amazing hosts, whose challenges focus on the reduction of waste production and resource consumption, as well as Berlin's resilience more

re/set mobility design conference

Great news from our network: On 7 and 8 November the international design conference "re/set mobility design" takes place at Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG) Offenbach. With many international guests present, the conference will be a unique event rich in informative panels and discussions. more

Conference
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Pedestrians Have Priority

Climate change, insecurity, overpopulation and poverty are some of the main problems to which governments must pay special attention. Therefore, anticipating these problems is a priority in many cities and administrations should try to predict all possible scenarios in order to create long-term strategies and react through short-term actions. more

Policy
Image by isha.outreach.org

A Different Kind of Rally

Rally for Rivers or more specific Cauvery Calling is a campaign with a supporting action plan created by a non-profit organization in India. Its goal is to reverse the depletion of Indian rivers while saving the countries food and water supply for future generations. At the same time it provides an applicable approach for many other countries facing similar issues if succesful. more

Excursion
Photo by Yoel J Gonzalez on Unsplash

European Mobility Week

The European Mobility Week campaign, which took place from 16-22 September 2019, targets urban authorities and stakeholders. The aim of the campaign is for authorities to learn from cities and towns about the most recent urban developments and reduce car-use and transport emissions. more

Feature
Photo by Chris Barbalis on Unsplash

The Wellbeing Cities Award

The non-profit organization NewCities creates well-founded content about new trends in urban development worldwide. As an exchange platform, they aim to connect the most important stakeholders of the urban ecosystem, such as academic institutions, governments, civil society organizations and locals. They have also initiated the CityWellbeing Award – an award handed to cities which are global more

Feature

MeetUp #3 Recap – Elizabeth Chee, Iomob Germany

Elizabeth Chee is Co & VP – Business Development at Iomob and has been one of our favorite guests at our MeetUp #3 on July 24. She is driven by a vision to use technology to better the causes she cares deeply for: Mobility, Healthcare and Education. more

Interview
Photo by Erik Eastman on Unsplash

The Giant Tokyo

If you haven't visited Japan yet, you've probably heard or read a lot about this country. Japan is not only known for sports like Sumo or for "Memoirs of a Geisha", but the cultural, technological and social display makes it worthy of being a number one in many respects. Let's see! more

Technology
Image via climathon-climate.kic.org

Berlin on the Move – The Open Source Lab @ Climathon 2019

It's Global Climathon Day on 25 October. Climathon is a platform that creates tangible projects that aim to tackle climate change. Climathon also hosts an event which targets cities all around the globe that all aim to find solutions for different global problems caused by climate change. This year's Climathon includes challenges such as Air Pollution, Extreme Weather, Waste Management, more

Conference
Image by Todd Huffman on flickr

When Data Makes Our Lives More Pleasant

A group of American cities - most notably Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco - started the Open Mobility Foundation (OMF) with the aim of creating an open-source project. OMF, constitutes as a non-profit coalition, from its beginnings it has sought to install a new platform on open standards and software to manage urban mobility efficiently. Let's see how it works! more

DataVisualization
Photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash

Our Top 10 Labs

We recently had a look at other labs in Europe and beyond and have made some very interesting discoveries. As we mainly focussed our research on mobility-related labs, the following list of our Top 10 labs is concerned with similar topics as we are. However, there are also some labs that follow an open approach with their publications and inspire their readers and followers to lead a more more

Feature

Meetup: Stories from Zero Emission Cities- Mobility Partnerships

On 24 July, the Open Source Lab was holding a 3rd MeetUp event kicking-off the research on partnerships in the sector of mobility. With the focus on how public and private stakeholders can join forces to reduce CO2 emissions and shift away from car dependency, three speakers from award-winning start-ups were invited to share their experiences. The Open Source Lab MeetUp #3 took place in our more

Event
image by bbc.com

Africa: A breath of Fresh Energetic Air

Scientists at the Technical University of Munich built, through a four-year research project, a car that promises to improve mobility in developing countries. The main objective of the project was to open up new mobility possibilities that primarily benefit rural regions which lack ideal infrastructures. more

Technology

MeetUp #3: 24 July, 6pm @ Open Source Lab: Mobility Partnerships

We are happy to announce that our next MeetUp will take place at our lab on 24 July at 5.30. On this occasion, we are looking for answers to the question of how Private-Public Partnerships can help enable a more sustainable and inclusive mobility. There will be three amazing speakers talking about their experiences and visions. more

Event
Photo by Ross Parmly

How to Make Your Flights More Sustainable

The summer holidays are the peak period for travel worldwide. As fun as travelling is, the journey to the actual destination can be disastrous and ruin the whole vacation. No one really wants to waste time they could spend on the beach stuck in traffic or waiting for trains that are delayed or even cancelled. Consequently, many people opt for flying in order to reach their destination more

Measurement

This Is Not a Car! Is it?

It has four tires, a steering wheel and you need a driving license to drive it. After initial production difficulties, a small electric car will enter the German streets in autumn: Microlino. more

Technology
Photo by Stock Catalog on Flickr

Our Online Data: Don’t Let Fear Paralyze You

Sometimes we find ourselves working on our laptop and suddenly Mr. Google presents that beach we want to visit in our so dreamed of summer vacations. Being innocent we would say: How incredible is the digital world that magically knows our preferences about places we want to see. Being more realistic when it comes to the Internet, we can say that in the world of data we are still at the more

Measurement

A First Piece of the Future?

Germany's first e-highway was put into operation on the A5 motorway near Frankfurt at the beginning of May. Hybrid trucks can charge their batteries while driving via current collectors. more

Technology

Roundtable Recap with Beate Kubitz, TravelSpirit Foundation (UK)

Beate Kubitz is Director of Policy and Communications at TravelSpirit Foundation and has been one of our favorite guests at the Roundtable discussion on April 24. She believes that innovations in transportation are noticeably positive, but these innovations need shaping to work for communities and the environment. more

Interview

Roundtable Recap with Olivier Thereaux, Open Data Institute (UK)

Oliver Thereaux is Head of Technology at Open Data Institute in the Uk. He leads the ODI Labs team in the design and creation of prototypes and services for ODI Toolbox, as well as the creation of software. At this Roundtable "Zero Emission City", Olivier shared his knowledge and perspective on the implications of Open Data on urban mobility. more

Interview

Open Source Lab @ International Transport Forum in Leipzig

We are happy to have been part of the workshop at ITF Leipzig on the topic “Commuter Mobility – Collaboration for New Intermodal Solutions”. We joined representatives of the Sustainability Council as well as other great organizations in order to discuss what must be done to ensure sustainable and efficient commuting. However, we also talked about what is possible already and how this can be more

Conference
Photo by Thomas Kelley on Unsplash

Cars Can Be More Than Just Vehicles

The future belongs to electric mobility. Battery-powered vehicles are changing not only the way we move, but they also change life as a whole. Our infrastructure must be adapted to the new needs in order to supply electric vehicles. But they are a mobile source of energy for other devices connected to them, too. This does not only mean to charge a cell phone while driving. The keyword is: “V2G”. more

Technology
Image by fes.de/mobility

OS Lab @ Mobility Congress at Friedrich Ebert Foundation

Everything is on the move. People, goods and data are constantly in flux. Our societies are built on the bedrock of mobility subscribing to the ability to be flexible in time and space with utmost significance. How can the change towards more sustainable mobility that unites economic with ecological approaches be designed? That was one of the key questions asked at the Congress 'mobility more

Conference
Image by flickr

The Data Revolution

The idea of opening data sets is deeply rooted in Finland's future strategies. The impulse given by the government through innovative Open Data programmes has been constituted as a radical "Yes" to social and technological progress. more

Data

Roundtable & Get Together – Zero Emission Cities

On April 24th, 2019 we held our second Roundtable with a fantastic group of experts at the Open Source Lab in Berlin followed by our Get Together Event. Focusing on the question 'What emerges in the overlap of Zero Emission Cities and an Open Source Approach' we discussed possible future concepts of mobility with special regard towards data usage, literacy and ofcourse sovereignty. more

Event

Get Together & Discussion: Open Data Institute & Travelspirit Foundation (UK) – 24 April 2019 5:30pm

On 24 April our next Get Together & Discussion event is taking place, everyone is warmly welcome! We are especially happy to welcome our guests from UK: the Open Data Institute and the TravelSpirit Foundation will give insights into their inspiring work. At 5.30 pm we are opening our doors for everyone interested in sustainable mobility. Join us at the Get Together for drinks, snacks and more

Event

A Commitment to Accessible Universal Mobility

We have no idea how far Open Source can go, but what we do know today is that we can achieve things that yesterday did not seem possible. For Travelspirit, the great goal is an Open, Equitable and Sustainable Mobility Ecosystem through Open Source. How? Let's see.... more

Policy

The Great Open Data Maker

At the time of data revolution, the Open Data Institute is a protagonist of great and innovative changes. In view of its participation in our Roundtable & Get together #2, we are already looking forward to all that is to share. more

Policy
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Delivery of Medicine Through the Air

Revolutionizing medical care in remote areas with the help of drones, the "Deliver Future" project proves that this is not only a dream of the future. Drone manufacturer Wingcopter, DHL and the German Corporation for International Cooperation jointly launched the "DHL Parcelcopter 4.0" and supply the Tanzanian island of Ukerewe with medicine at record speed. more

Technology

Open Source Lab @ Open Mobility Conference 2019 in Brussels

The very first Open Mobility Conference held on 11th April 2019 in Brussels examined how to build an open ecosystem of mobility and aimed to lay the foundations for seamless Mobility as a Service (MaaS). The Open Source Lab was a part of this effort and hosted a co-design workshop for open source mobility. more

Workshop
Image by shuttleworthfoundation.org

Patron of an Open Society

Mark Shuttleworth is an African Entrepreneur, who is particularly interested to improve the world's social, economic and political landscape in using communication technology. His Foundation offers scholarships to individuals to implement their innovative ideas for social change. Openness is the key requirement more

Feature

Publication: Open Source Mobility White Paper

The Open Source Lab is proud to publish their first collaborative White Paper entitled “The Open Source Paradigm in the Digital Transformation – Enabling a Sustainable Future in Mobility.” The paper discusses how an open source ecosystem can foster a more sustainable approach to mobility. Read more

Working Paper
image by graftlab.com

Everything Solar-Powered – And Accessible​

Let the sun shine down on … the Solarkiosk. Sustainable energy provision is regarded as one of the key cornerstones for the future growth of especially rural communities in developing countries. Just think about services like healthcare, sanitation or education - all rely on energy supply to run the equipment. While there is some form of access for metropolitan areas like Cape Town or Dakar more

Feature
Image by pngtree.com

The Cloud in our Hands

Cloud technologies are the basis of digitization in the modern economy. Companies that invest in their future viability are dependant on these technologies. The open-source approach offers the opportunity to reduce costs and risks in the cloud and to become more independent. The German start-up Meshcloud offers an open source cloud platform for companies. more

Technology
Photo by flickr.com

Using the Mobile Phone as a Purse

Viewing the fact that societies can solve almost everything through mobile phones and the internet, we wonder what happens to places where the Internet is scarce or almost impossible. We can say that countries, like Kenya, know how to avoid that absence very well. more

Feature
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Digital First – The Swedish Climate Dashboard

Sweden's ambition to become fossil fuel free by 2045 is a great example of climate leadership. With plans of installing a public dashboard to track the transition across all sectors the Swedish society is also up for the challenge. The Swedish technology company MapLauncher is prototyping the Climate Dashboard, that hopefully helps to keep on track in terms of halving emissions, not only in more

Feature

Back to School for Data? Periodic Table of Open Data Impact

Despite global commitments to and increasing enthusiasm for open data, little is actually known about its use and impact. What kinds of social and economic transformation has open data brought about and what is its future potential? How and under what circumstances has it been most effective? Even as proponents extol the virtues of open data, the field suffers from a lack of detailed more

Measurement
Image by hwzdigital.ch

BBCs Data Offensive

Big Data, small Data, transparent or exclusive. Data is everywhere. It is the currency by which the biggest companies in the world run. Well, in fact, it is the currency by which the world operates from IT to municipal. But there is an imbalance between the creators of data and the ones making a profit from it. And this is why topics of data sovereignty and data literacy are on the rise - more

Feature
Image by medium.com

IOTA – Block the Chain

The Internet of things (IoT) is a thing. Every aspect of life is touched with the magical tech of network sensors. Physical objects - like clothing, cars and coffee makers - turn into smart devices that allow for remote monitoring and control as well as communication amongst those devices. Intel predicts 200 billion things being connected through the internet by 2020, which would be 25 times more

Technology
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Climate’s Wildcard – The Digital Revolution

Digitization already influences the decisions of three billion people and businesses every day and is poised to profoundly disrupt the global economy in the next decade. The expected digital disruption can help determine whether we live on a 1.5-2°C planet or a +3°C world. The Exponential Climate Action Roadmap charts the steps needed to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. more

Policy
Image by Greentechmedia

“Does the sun shine on me”, asks the road?

Solar roads are critically reviewed in regards to their actual capacity to generate energy and provide safe usage. They are expensive comparably and haven't been tested on a large scale yet. But there is always a but. And it starts with SOLMOVE a Berlin-based company that recently covered parts of a bicycle lane with those hardened glass panels. more

Roundtable Recap – Bernhard Fehr, DLR Institute for Transportation Systems, Braunschweig

Bernhard Fehr, researcher at the German Aerospace Center in Braunschweig (Germany), reminds us that there is not only one future of mobility but a range of opportunities for futures of mobility. In a short recap interview following our roundtable discussion, Bernhard points out that city planning and the planning of transportation systems should be integrated in those visions of the future. more

Interview

Roundtable Recap – Gabriel Plassat, FabMob France

Our French connection and sister initiative FabMob was represented by its founder Gabriel Plassat for our roundtable discussion on 'Open Source Shared Mobility'. Gabriel sees the center of our future mobility lying in more liveable cities and a more citizen-centric approach with shared mobility, active modes of transport and public transport coming together. more

Interview

Roundtable Recap – Max Kortlander, Waag Amsterdam

Max Kortlander, researcher of Waag at Amsterdam, Netherlands sees a bottom-up, co-created future of mobility. In a short recap interview following our roundtable discussion, Max says people who will be mobile themselves – bus riders, cyclists etc – need to be not just thought of but involved in the planning and implementation process. more

Interview

La Fabrique Mobilités: Open Source and Mobility Made in France

Gabriel Plassat, founder of FabMob, is part of our exciting first expert round on Open Source Mobility. With the FabMob initiative he is working to create a number of open platforms, engaging partners in a growing network – he would say ecosystem – of mobility. We are thrilled to have him at the Open Source Lab to share his experiences. more

Feature

Roundtable & Get Together – Open Source Shared Mobility

On November 27, 2018 our first Roundtable with a great group of experts and a welcoming Get Together in light of the question „What emerges in the overlap of ‘shared mobility’ and an ‘open source’ approach?“ took place at the Open Source Lab in Berlin. With diverse perspectives on mobility, we were discussing future concepts at the intersection between shared mobility notions and open source more

Event
Photo by chuttersnap on Unsplash

Drones Ahoi! Save the environment!?

Welcome to the fantastic wonderland of drones, this time with fins instead of wings or wheels. I do quite an amount of research on city strategies for dealing with environmental challenges. As stated before the Smart City Concept is the technological answer for most authorities these days. Rotterdam is no exception, actually it is the opposite.  more

Feature
Image by TIER

TIER is Here: E-Scooter Sharing for Berlin

While German politicians are still discussing whether they want to allow the small electric scooters at all, the Berlin-based start-up TIER Mobility wants to establish this new form of micro-mobility anyhow. Following pioneering US companies like Bird, they are eager to bring the shareable e-scooter to European sidewalks. more

Feature

10 Years of E-Mobility in Germany: Nowhere Near Open Source

Electric cars, for many, will bring about the fundamental turn in mobility. The opening conference of our dear lab neighbours MENNEKES, a leading producer and developer of charging infrastructure (plugs and charge columns), revealed the status quo of e-mobility in Germany and of our self-understanding as a car nation. more

Conference

How Heavy Is a Bit? When Digitalization Meets Sustainability

This exciting meet-up of activists and experts in the fields of digitalization and environmental sustainability in Berlin attracted almost 1.500 people. We were also there and enjoyed the discussion on how digitalization can contribute to the sustainable transformation of society and the economy. more

Conference
Image by archdaily.com

Buildings Taking a Cleansing Breath

What humans inhale trees exhale, I once heard someone say. Almost every creature on the planet inherently knows how to breathe, that is simply put, turning Oxygen oxygen into Carbon carbon Dioxidedioxide. But what is true for us is different for plants. They need CO2 and turn it into Oxygenoxygen. Being no biologist, but that sounds like trees have fantastic skills that we are in need of. more

Feature
Image by paulkolling.de

When the city owns itself!?

It might sound a little far-fetched, but as technological developments have proven many times before, the future is actually right around the corner. Technologies like Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence are at the brink of turning around the world as we know it. Now, German Researchers have created a non-human legal entity that is able to act as an economic unit by itself. more

Feature
Image by space10.io

Baby, Can You Drive Yourself?

I will state the obvious after doing conducting some research on the future of mobility: Autonomous vehicles are on everyone's agenda - amongst among the conservative and visionary futurists alike. But promising projects on the topic are a rarity. That is why the so-called playful research project by the amazing Space10 is one worth checking out. Space10 is a living-lab based in Copenhagen more

Feature
https://youtu.be/LijchWVlirc Image by The Academy for Open Government Partnership

A Common Good to Fight for: Open Government Data

Just now, in this very moment, numerous data sets are collected and generated by government agencies around the world to complete various tasks in daily operations. These data sets involve almost all aspects of daily life, and government agencies are currently, believe it or not, the largest data holder. Doesn't feel like it? There is a way to get an overview of how open your government is... more

Policy

Open Principles: Like a Tutorial for City Officials

While thinking that there are already great ideas and businesses around to bring forward new modes of mobility, it is a question of policy whether or not shared mobility will be a major part of how we get around. Browsing through international policies in the mobility domain, I came across the open source principles for shared mobility: these principles denote a high-level policy example more

Policy
Image by digitaltrends.com

Beyond Smart Cities: Ecocitybuilders

I found Smart Cities to be the hottest topic in modern discussions about the development of cities. Many research institutions predict that by 2050 more than 70% of the world's population will live in urban areas. That turning out to be true or not has little influence on the impact that cities have on the environment today. They are concentrated areas not only of people and buildings but more

Feature

All Things Open: The Coming Disruptions

All Things Open is more than an IT conference. With this year's theme, it wants to acknowledge and foster an inclusive and holistic view of open source developments by opening up the discussion to a growing community in developing countries and to local small businesses. I had a look on their website to reveal more about their approach. more

Conference

Workshop Review: I’ll take the Monster Truck

How to prototype Open Source Mobility? A group of industrial design students from the University of the Arts Berlin conducted experiments about micro mobility in public space in a weeklong design methods seminar and offers interesting insights to the practicality of mobility modes. The aim of the course was to use and adapt design research methods for the […] more

Workshop