Catapult joins TravelSpirit community to develop new integrated transport initiatives

The Satellite Applications Catapult is supporting the new TravelSpirit programme which is developing Mobility as a Service infrastructure resource to support multi-modal, integrated transport initiatives. TravelSpirit is being led by the Open Source Initiative (OSI) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).

In 2015, OSI and TfGM identified a need to solve some of the “Smart City” future challenges predicted for Greater Manchester in terms of delivering seamless, integrated mobility. This subsequently led to the creation of the TravelSpirit community, incorporating the University of Salford, Manchester Metropolitan University and Patch Penguin, an ethical hacker.

TravelSpirit has subsequently broadened its reach with the Satellite Applications Catapult, UK Department for Transport, Institution of Engineering and Technology, BT, and University College London now on board. The initiative has also engaged with known progressive city authorities in Helsinki and Alto Adige in northern Italy to further extend its influence and traction.

Stuart Martin, CEO of the Satellite Applications Catapult, said: “Since Intelligent Transport is a key programme for us, TravelSpirit offers an exciting opportunity to explore new ways of developing transport solutions, build upon the success we’ve achieved to date, and help Greater Manchester and other city regions make the most of satellite-based applications.”