Since the start of the MegaBITS project in May 2023, the project has already accomplished its first achievements. In this overview we look back on the past eight months.
The Megabits Team and all the partners during the initial Megabits meeting held in the Province of Overijssel
Kick-off meeting
The MegaBITS Kick-Off Meeting, which took place in Zwolle (The Netherlands) on June 1st and 2nd, 2023, provided partners with a valuable opportunity for in-person introductions, fostering connections among those who hadn't met before. Over the course of two productive days, discussions and project planning for the next phases took place.
Website and conferences
At the start of the project, many communication activities were carried out to signal the launch of the project. The website https://www.interregnorthsea.eu/megabits was launched and the first newsletter was published. Presentations and sessions were held in a number of events, to mention a few:
- NAPCORE Mobility Data Days: CIE and Cycling Ambassadors coordinated a session on standardisation of cycling data, with speakers from private, government and NGO/civil society sectors. Apart from CIE, also Province of Overijssel and imec participated in this event.
- MegaBITS was also presented at the Dutch National Traffic Conference (represented by Province of Overijssel and Zwolle), sharing valuable lessons from the BITS project, focusing particularly on its implementations in Zwolle.
- Wim Dijkstra, Province of Overijssel, presented the MegaBITS project at the POLIS Conference in Leuven.
Webinars and publication
In September CIE, in cooperation with MegaBITS, organised a webinar to present the outcomes of the benchmarking of bike sharing in 148 European cities. A follow-up session was held in December.
The MegaBITS project also organised a series of sessions regarding Floating Bike Data (FBD), intended for MegaBITS partners to orient themselves on this subject. In one of those sessions, external experts were asked to share their experience with FBD.
In October a Pitching Session was organised in which 13 companies presented their ITS for cycling products and services to the consortium members, as input for the flagship implementation plans. The recording and presentations can be found online.
Also in October, MegaBITS Partner imec published a White Paper on EU Bicycle Data Spaces. The paper can be downloaded here.
Bicycles and ITS implementations
The MegaBITS project’s main objective is the demonstrate that Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) can help to make cycling a more attractive mode of transport, thus contributing to the greening of the transport system. The past period has been used to develop the implementation plans for the five flagships in our project. A summary of these plans can be seen in the picture below.
Cooperation with other North Sea projects
Last but not least we have been in contact with the other Interreg North Sea projects in the field of greening transport. We identified various opportunities for cooperation with these projects, as the following Venn diagram shows.
MegaBITS in 2024
We worked hard on MegaBITS in 2023 and together we accomplished major developments in this first year. The upcoming period the result of these developments will become more tangible, as we have several ITS implementations planned for 2024 in our five flagships.
So, keep following us on our website and social media channels (LinkedIn and X). For now, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
On behalf of the MegaBITS partners,
Ronald Jorna
Province of Overijssel
MegaBITS Strategic Advisor Wim Dijkstra presenting the MegaBITS project during his speech on Smart Cycling
Benchmarking Bike Share In 148 Cities, Follow-Up Session with The Experts Webinar Sponsored by MegaBITS
Graph explaining MegaBITS Partners Flagship Implementation Plans
Graph Explain Megabits Collaboration with Other Interreg North Sea Projects In The Field Of Greening Transport.