The mobility landscape is undergoing significant changes. More and more mobility providers compete
for customers with their own mobility services. Traditional public transport, demand responsive transport,
taxis, car sharing, ride pooling, bike sharing, e-scooters, … the available modes of transport in cities
are becoming increasingly heterogeneous and confusing. At the same time, significant changes to the landscape
are induced by the effects of the global pandemic. They may lead to even more drastic changes in the mobility
demand.
How to tame the complexity of this landscape and fight the climate change without neglecting mobility as a
fundamental human need is an open - albeit essential - question.
In this talk, we will examine the changes in the mobility landscape and look at the role of two important
players in this discussion: open simulators and artificial intelligence. What do they bring to the table
in order to tackle the rising complexity? How can they be applied to improve the transportation system in
a city? The Eclipse SUMO project is used as an example to illustrate how to build digital twins of smart cities.
Moreover, results from recent research projects are used to discuss the effectiveness and efficiency of applying
artificial intelligence to optimize transportation systems.