The GOAT 3.0 project has resulted in greatly enhanced software for more efficient integrated urban and transport planning. Various partners, including the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER), worked together on the project with the aim of making cities and transport more sustainable. GOAT 3.0 was funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport as part of the mFUND.
Making sustainable mobility plannable – GOAT 3.0 project further develops software
Research into the GOAT planning software has been underway since 2017. GOAT stands for “Geo Open Accessibility Tool”, an instrument that uses open geodata and can be used to determine the state of transport planning and accessibility in cities and regions. The web-based planning software was presented to the public for the first time in 2021. The partners have now updated and further developed it as part of the GOAT 3.0 project. “With a greatly expanded range of data and functions, GOAT enables even more efficient integrated urban and transport planning with a focus on quality of life and sustainability,” explains Benjamin Büttner from the lead partner, the Technical University of Munich (TUM). In addition to TUM and IOER, Plan4Better GmbH, PSU – Prof. Schaller UmweltConsult GmbH and Munich Transport and Tariff Association (MVV) were also involved in the GOAT 3.0 project. The project was funded with around 1.03 million euros by the Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport (BMDV) as part of the mFUND innovation initiative.
Together, the five partners have developed GOAT from a simple toolbox into a comprehensive and flexible WebGIS application. It supports local authorities in dealing with current mobility planning issues. Extended functions make it possible to process a large number of new use cases. "This ranges from the analysis of how easy or difficult it is to reach important everyday destinations on foot or by bike, keyword 15-minute city, to the optimization of public transport services and the development of sustainable mobility concepts. GOAT can now also support the planning and analysis of measures for climate adaptation and the provision of green spaces," explains Robert Hecht, who led the project at the IOER.
New functions for more differentiated analyses
This is made possible by new functions that have been integrated into the software. For example, travel time comparisons or accessibility analyses can now be carried out not only for walking and cycling, but also for journeys made by public transport or with one's own vehicle. It is also possible to combine different modes of transport, for example to calculate the accessibility of schools by bicycle and bus. The newly integrated “public transport quality classes” indicator makes it quick and easy to determine the state of public transport provision in different areas. Comparisons can be made at both local and supra-regional level and it is possible to analyse where additional services are required. Last but not least, GOAT can be used to make statements about services of general interest. How far do people have to travel to do their shopping, go to the doctor, theatre, cinema or public swimming pool? It is also possible to determine how easily people can reach the nearest green space and thus have access to recreational areas.
Practical needs identified | Germany-wide analyses
The basis for these further developments was formed by extensive literature research as well as workshops and interviews on the needs of potential users. The results of the requirements analysis and research are documented transparently in a GOAT 3.0 project wiki. In addition, the project team continuously collected feedback from users and experts in over 20 workshops with more than 100 participants, particularly from the three pilot regions of Rhine-Neckar, Munich and Görlitz as well as the city of Bonn.
In addition, the preparation of GOAT for nationwide use was a central concern. To this end, the project team collected, merged and refined various national datasets and generated its own datasets. Among other things, the IOER contributed to the development of an approach for small-scale population estimation independent of the census. IOER researchers were also involved in the conceptualization of the new indicators - for example on green space provision - as well as the geodata analysis and the piloting, i.e. the testing of the further developed planning software. They also accompanied the transdisciplinary research process with numerous interviews and workshops. As the interface between the developers and practical users, the team ensured that the needs of end users were taken into account during development.
The new possibilities of GOAT are already being used in practice in many cases. Interested parties can try out GOAT for themselves. To use the demo version free of charge you can register on the project website.
Scientific contact at IOER
Dr Robert Hecht, E-Mail: R.Hecht@ioer.de
About the mFUND of BMDV
As part of the mFUND innovation initiative, the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport (BMDV) has been funding data-based research and development projects for the digital and connected mobility of the future since 2016. Project funding is supplemented by active professional networking between stakeholders from politics, business, administration and research. Open data is made available via the Mobilithek.
![[Translate to English:] Dresden concept](/fileadmin/_processed_/2/1/csm_logo-dresden-concept_430c661ad7.png){kind=logo}
