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In April 2017, a man drove a stolen truck into a crowded shopping area in central Stockholm and crashed into a store, killing four people and injuring 15 others.

this terrorist attack It prompted the Swedish government to investigate how it happened. digital technology can be used to prevent such events in the future. A single species in urban environments embarked on a four-year research program to test geographic containment.

Geofencing is a virtual tool in which software uses GPS or similar technology to trigger a pre-programmed or real-time action to control the movement of vehicles in a geographic area. It can regulate the speed of a vehicle in the area, determine whether the vehicle belongs there and automatically switch hybrid vehicles to electric driving mode.

Johannes Berg, senior consultant for digitalization Swedish Transport AdministrationHe said the technology could improve traffic safety and reduce emissions. He added that it also has the potential to ensure compliance with regulations, such as adjusting speed to road and weather conditions and stopping a vehicle if a driver is not allowed to enter a geofenced area.

For simple uses (for example, when a map with restrictions is downloaded to a vehicle before starting the trip to automatically reduce speed when it enters a low-speed zone), vehicles do not need to be connected to an external source, said Mr. Berg. .

But in more advanced applications – for example in real-time use – vehicles must be connected. Rules and regulations in a technology cloud and said it can be changed according to the actual location of the vehicles. “The cloud service can access the vehicle’s engine using: telematics vehicle connection.”

Sweden, which began a series of geofencing trials in 2019, has long been an innovator in vehicle-related security. Introduced in the 1990s Goal ZeroA security approach that takes human error into account. The aim is to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries by creating multiple layers of protection; If one fails, the others will create a safety net.

Sweden now one of the lowest accident fatality rates in the worldand many cities around the world have taken this approach. Earlier this year, the US Department of Transportation officially adopted the strategy to an address dramatic spike in the number of deaths in the United States.

In Stockholm, geofencing pilot programs focused on commercial traffic in the city center and evaluated things like whether deliveries to businesses could occur at slower speeds at night when there are often fewer people on the streets.

“The switch to electric drive combined with low speed can make nighttime truck deliveries virtually silent,” said Mr. Berg. “Increased night deliveries can reduce congestion during daytime rush hours and create a more balanced traffic flow around the clock,” improving a region’s quality of life.

In another experiment, sensors attached to pavements monitor pedestrian flow, which can trigger a speed reduction in piloted vehicles. “Trucks actually slow down their speed automatically,” said Mr. Berg.

Gothenburg continued to lead geofencing test in public transport. Collaborating with the city since 2015 ElectricA regional private-public partnership, including the Volvo Group, is evaluating the technology on two bus routes. this evaluation focused on busy areas such as shopping streets and intersections. The city now has the ability to adjust geo-restricted areas to real-time conditions, with bus operators automatically notified of changes.

In the recently completed trial, the buses operated at safe and fuel-efficient speeds in electric driving mode in designated areas.

“We see Geofencing as a tool to create a safer city with better air quality and less noise,” said Malin Stoldt, project manager for the Gothenburg Urban Transport Authority.

Other pilot projects, some of which are ongoing, include improving traffic safety around schools and smart urban traffic zones to protect cyclists. Prioritizing public transport at complex intersections, geofence technology is already used for daily traffic in Gothenburg.

Ms. Stoldt said that Geofencing can also contribute to a more dynamic use of urban areas. “The fields can be easily changed according to the time of day or the season and can be used for different purposes.”

Mrs Stoldt said the trials were well received. At least one more bus line plans to incorporate the technology. Operators also said they approve of the geo-restriction, not only for safety reasons, but also for wear and tear of vehicles.

Rodrigue Al Fahel, chief coordinator of the Swedish national geofencing program, said geofencing technology has been in development for some time and is used to target messages to mobile phones based on the phone’s location; manage merchant fleets; set the maximum speeds of e-scooters and control parking; and to develop some advanced driver assistance systems such as smart speed assist (ISA) will be mandatory on all new vehicles in the European Union from July.

Mr. Al Fahel noted that Sweden is one of the most active countries to try geo-restriction for general traffic, describing it as a “great collaborative environment”.

Still, collecting, standardizing and digitizing data at the scale required to widely enforce geofencing remains a challenge. First, developers must find a way to make traffic rules machine-readable and decide on communication standards. “This is something that has not been fully developed yet,” said Mr. Al Fahel.

However, collaborations in Europe have developed through projects such as: GeoSence and North Road to help progress.

Soon the market research and one state of the art report concluded that geofencing is at the cusp of more widespread use. “This is a tool for cities,” said Mr. Al Fahel. “You can plan the city differently.”

“We’re trying to explore its potential and impact on the traffic and transportation system. It’s not just about developing technology,” said Mr. Al Fahel, but rather about building a system that is accepted by everyone involved.

Berg, of the Swedish Transport Administration, said the pilot program had shown promising results in its final year and that the Swedish government was considering laws changing traffic and other rules so that municipalities could use geofencing for traffic management.

New uses of technology can raise privacy issues. But one reason why the Swedish program is focused on professional drivers rather than private drivers, Mr. Berg says, “we believe it’s different when the vehicle is an employer-provided vehicle,” compares this to employers’ ability to organize company computers.

However, according to experts, one of the reasons why the European Union is considered to have the safest road system in the world is that member states emphasize community responsibility as well as individual rights.

“We realized that this technology might not be bulletproof to stop terrorists, but when you get the technology smart and make the transportation system more dynamic, then you can create a truly sustainable transportation system,” Berg said. “It makes everything more efficient.

“The higher purpose is safety and sustainability,” he said. “They go together.”