About NEMO
Real time noise and emission measuring by remote sensing
NEMO has developed a completely new remote sensing technology that can measure noise and emissions from individual road vehicles and trains in real time. The system will make possible a limited access or charging system based on actual environmental impacts.
The new technologies has been tested in several European cities, and officially validated by EU’s Joint Research Centre, as a tool to control noise and air quality and reduce damage to people and the environment.
The NEMO project is now sharing its results to the scientific community, European policy makers, national road and rail authorities, cities and the European population more broadly.
Objectives
NEMO’s main objectives are
- To develop a new, ready-to-use technology to measure environmental impacts, such as air and noise pollution of road and rail traffic
- To integrate the new technologies into existing infrastructures to offer a complete turn-key monitoring solution
- To create an IT abd Software solution where collected data from the system is connected and analyzed to inform vehicle operators and road or rail authorities about pollution levels and potential restrictions or charges.
- To develop mitigation solutions such as green noise barriers and road surface designs to reduce vehicle noise emission and prevent most microplastics from tires’ wear and tear to reach the marine environment
- To validate the new noise and emission remote sensing technology and the mitigation solutions in several European locations, as a tool to control the acoustic and air quality and reduce the damage on people and environment.
- To develop standardized measurement methodologies to ensure reliability of collected data and harmony with existing methods for vehicle inspections
- To publish the results to the scientific community, European policy makers, national road and rail authorities and cities and the European population.
What we do
Get an overview of what we do in NEMO
See this introduction to what defines NEMOs new traffic monitoring system
NEMO has developed Europe’s first integrated sensing data platform for noise and exhaust emission measurements for individual vehicles. The platform will automatically process measured emissions, identify license plates and recover technical information from each country database. Trough integrated data analysis, it will be possible to send notifications directly to identified high emitters or to communicate with toll operating systems, regardless of the road or toll operator. This digital ecosystem does not currently exist, but will be developed and demonstrated in NEMO.
Watch a Prezi presentation here.
Impacts
NEMO is expected to have the following impacts
- Reduction of the negative effects of air- and noise pollution
- At least 30% reduction of exhaust emissions and 20% for noise in targeted zones
- Provision of the necessary technological leap to measure emissions with greater sensitivity to secure sufficient measurement for future cleaner vehicles.
- Creation of a methodology to calculate externalities caused by real noise and exhaust emissions, to apply variable pricing to high emitters.
- Remove Europe’s current dependency on US manufacturers of remote sensing technology and develop remote sensing technology and know-how further in Europe, making the EU more technologically competitive
- Saving money by low operating, maintenance, and analysis costs as well as eased control with e.g. Low Emission Zones
- Stimulation for vehicle manufacturers to improve the durability of cleaning and retrofitting technologies and to create a new market for European workshops.
- Improvement of the perception factor of clean air in the city, that contributes to the satisfaction of citizens when they use public services outdoor
- Creation of specialized “green jobs” for the implementation and operation of NEMO’s technologies
- Efficient application of the Polluter Pays Principle in the transport sector in the EU
Partners
NEMO is run by a consortium of 18 partners comprising a wealth of expertise, each a leading entity within their field, spread across 10 different European countries. The project is coordinated by Fundación CARTIF in Spain.
FUNDACIÓN CARTIF – TECHNOLOGY CENTER CARTIF
Fundación CARTIF is a leading Spanish Applied Research Centre in terms of R&D and technology transfer activities, whose main ambition is to improve competitiveness and create business opportunities through innovative solutions and enhanced processes, systems and products. CARTIF has accumulated a wide range of experiences with international projects, made visible in its participation in: 121 international projects, 36 of them are coordinated by Fundación CARTIF itself.
Main tasks
CARTIF is the main coordinator in terms of financial, legal and administrative management of the project. It will be responsible for the multifunctional barrier development to mitigate noise and emissions. This includes working with the real-life demo project in Madrid, installing the multifunctional barrier and monitoring pollutants within the barrier during the demo’s execution.
Website
www.cartif.es
Contacts
Dr Dolores Hidalgo, Director of the Circular Economy Area
dolhid@cartif.es
TRANSPORT & ENVIRONMENT
The European Federation for Transport and Environment is Europe's leading NGO campaigning for cleaner transport. Transport and Environment’s mission is to promote, at an EU and global level, a transport policy based on the principles of sustainable development. Transport policy should minimize harmful impacts on the environment and health, maximize the efficiency of resources, including energy and land, and guarantee safety and sufficient access for all.
Main tasks
Transport and Environment will mainly work with the impact analysis of NEMO’s solutions and demos, as well as the development of a methodology for calculating the externalities to apply variable tariffs. This includes the presentation of an ambitious whitepaper at the European Parliament. It is also responsible for the best practice exchange with cities.
Website
www.transportenvironment.org
Contacts
Julia Poliscanova, Senior Director, Vehicles and E-mobility
julia.poliscanova@transportenvironment.org
FUNDACION DE LA COMUNIDAD VALENCIANA PARA LA INVESTIGACIÓN,
PROMOCIÓN Y ESTUDIOS COMERCIALES DE VALENCIAPORT
The Valenciaport Foundation for Research, Promotion and Commercial Studies of the Valencia region (Valenciaport Foundation) is a private non-profit research centre. The Valenciaport Foundation works with research, development and innovation in the fields of ICT as well as industrial, maritime and intermodal transport, plus logistics and transport economics.
Main tasks
Valenciaport Foundation will oversee the demo project in Valencia Port, including the preparation of permits and planning of the demo. Its tasks include the identification and selection of suitable locations for the demos, the design and development of the demo activities and the monitoring of noise and air quality over the port area with existing noise and air quality sensors.
OPUS TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS AB
OPUS Technology Solutions AB is a company within OPUS Group dedicated to the development and delivery of technology solutions (including software and hardware) to the European operating entities Opus Bilprovning and Opus RSE, in order to perform traditional periodic technical inspections (e.g. safety and emissions inspection systems) and emissions measurements of real on-road driving emissions.
Main tasks
OPUS Technology Solution’s main task is to support OPUS RS Europe in hardware and software developments for a new remote sensing device for emissions. It will be based on the most advanced technology (Quantum cascade laser) to remotely measure emissions from road and rail traffic. The work includes laser and spectrometers configuration arrangement definition, the procurement of parts, signal analysis and configurations to improve the quantification of pollutants. OPUS Technology Solutions will also participate in the demo projects in Madrid and Valencia.
Website
https://www.opus.global
MÜLLER-BBM RAIL TECHNOLOGIES GMBH
Müller-BBM Rail Technologies develops and produces measuring and monitoring systems and software tools specifically tailored to the needs of railway operators, manufacturers and authorities. Müller-BBM Rail Technologies brings vast experience and know-how from decades of practical work and research in the fields of railway noise and maintenance.
Main tasks
As a partner for technology development and research, Müller-BBM Rail Technologies will support the technical progress in standardization committees. Müller-BBM Rail Technologies will work on rail configuration of the remote sensing device for noise, in terms of meeting requirements, concept design and the wagon identification system.
Müller-BBM Rail Technologies will be responsible for the complete railway noise real-life demo in Susteren, the Netherlands.
Website
www.muellerbbm-rail.com
MÜLLER-BBM GMBH
Müller-BBM is one of the leading German consulting engineering companies in the areas of noise control, vibrations, room and building acoustics, thermal building physics, air quality control, electromagnetic environmental compatibility and fire protection. Müller-BBM’s work consists of scientific and technical consultancy, measurement as well as research and development.
Main tasks
Müller-BBM will work on the establishment of both hard- and software developments to detect single pass-by vehicles and pass-by noise levels. This includes software to separate acoustic signals in order to accurately measure individual sources from the traffic in real urban scenarios.
They will also play a role in measurement work in the road traffic noise demos in Florence and Madrid and the ship noise demos in the Port of Valencia.
Website
www.muellerbbm.com
Contacts
Mr Maximilian Ertsey-Bayer, M.Sc
Maximilian.Ertsey-Bayer@mbbm.com
KAPSCH TRAFFICCOM AG
Kapsch Trafficcom is one of the world's most highly regarded providers of tolling, traffic management, smart urban mobility, traffic safety and security and connected vehicles. The mobility solutions supplied by Kapsch Trafficcom help make road traffic safer and more reliable, efficient and comfortable in urban areas and on highways alike, while helping to reduce pollution.
Main tasks
Kapsch Trafficcom will prepare its new-generation Teesdorf testing site for NEMO integration tests. This integration includes collaboration with the Austrian public entity responsible for Austrian autobahns. Kapsch will also contribute to the NAUTILUS platform development, especially in the parts related to tolling integration and I2I/I2V systems. Kapsch Trafficcom will be working on the interface for road and rail infrastructure as well as on the real-time connection to vehicle registry databases.
Website
www.kapsch.net
ARPAT - AGENZIA REGIONALE PER LA PROTEZIONE AMBIENTALE DELLA TOSCANA
ARPAT is the regional environmental protection agency of Tuscany, Italy. They monitor the state of the environment, carry out investigations into sources of pollution and their impacts and deal with the detection and prevention of risk factors for the environment and human health. ARPAT also provides inspections in Tuscany to monitor compliance with the current standards of environmental protection.
Main tasks
ARPAT will oversee the demos of the different solutions developed in NEMO. There will be four different demos, covering road, rail and sea transport, as well as noise and emissions issues. ARPAT will work on noise and air quality measurements in demo studies, as well as on securing the necessary permits for each demo site in close collaboration with local partners. It will be responsible for the demo in Florence more specifically.
Website
www.arpat.toscana.it
UNIVERSITÉ GUSTAVE EIFFEL
Université Gustave Eiffel has brought together a research institute (IFSTTAR), a university (UPEM), a school of architecture (EAVT) and three engineering schools (EIVP, ENSG and ESIEE Paris). The aim is to create a research and training centre for cities and regions. It will be responsible for a quarter of all French research on the cities of tomorrow and will bring together multidisciplinary skills in order to conduct high-quality research for the good of society, provide training tailored to meet socio-economic needs and support public policies.
Main tasks
Université Gustave Eiffel will carry out a full-scale test, including fatigue and mechanical durability tests, on road surface mixes developed by the University of Cantabria (UC). The objectives will be to test newly formulated pavements, monitor the quantity of dust generated by the passage of tires and prepare pavement samples with different degrees of wear for testing noise absorption, NOx pollution reduction and wear particle collection potential.
Website
www.ifsttar.fr
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE
As the Commission's in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre's mission is to provide EU policies with independent, evidence-based scientific and technical support throughout the entire policy cycle. Its work has a direct impact on the lives of citizens by contributing with its research outcomes to a healthy and safe environment, secure energy supplies, sustainable mobility and consumer health and safety. The Joint Research Centre draws on over 50 years of scientific work experience.
Main tasks
The Joint Research Centre will assist OPUS RS Europe and OPUS Technology Solution on the development of the remote sensing device for emissions to consider the European Commission’s needs and future regulations. It will also work on the final performance validation of the remote sensing prototype for emissions in Teesdorf, Austria and the demos of the different NEMO solutions at the Florence demo site.
Website
www.ec.europa.eu/jrc
AUDIOTEC INGENIERÍA ACÚSTICA S.A
Audiotec has formed a highly qualified technical team in the research and development of projects related to applied acoustics and has facilities that include an acoustics laboratory with standardized cameras and state-of-the-art equipment. They have been present in the field related to acoustics’ research for 30 years, being part of the main national acoustic associations and a technical reference at national level.
Main tasks
Audiotec will work with multifunctional barrier development, to mitigate noise and exhaust emissions. It will develop a prototype barrier in collaboration with CARTIF capable of mitigating noise coming from road traffic. Different materials and configurations will be simulated, and the final prototype will comply with the normative for roadside safety. It will also perform laboratory and real-world noise tests according to ISO/UNE and collaborate in the installation of the barrier in the demo project in Madrid.
Website
www.audiotec.es
OPUS RS EUROPE S.L
OPUS RS Europe is a private company from Spain, responsible for the business and use of OPUS Remote Sensing technology throughout Europe. OPUS RS Europe is the only ISO-17025 remote sensing laboratory in the world, accredited for the remote measurement of air pollutant exhaust emissions from motor vehicles.
Main tasks
OPUS RS Europe will mainly work on concept design, technical design, the procurement of all components and the integration of remote sensing devices for emissions, as well as multispectral camera technology. It will perform laboratory testing of the prototypes, hardware, software and assembly configuration for two different setups (crossroad and top-down) and develop a fibre-optics system to collect and redirect remote sensing laser light.
They will also lead the demo project in Madrid and participate in the demo projects in Florence and Valencia.
Website
www.opusrse.com
GATE 21
Gate 21 is a non-profit organization that works to promote green growth and a green transition in the Greater Copenhagen region through local and regional projects. It brings together local and regional authorities, utilities suppliers, private companies and research institutions to develop and distribute sustainable solutions. Gate 21 has presented concrete strategic paths forward for cities’ green transition and offers a stable, proven platform for public-private innovation and cooperation.
Main tasks
Gate 21 will lead the communication, awareness raising and dissemination parts of the project. It will manage and implement impact-based dissemination, communication and engagement activities with the aim of increasing public and stakeholders’ awareness, stimulating acceptance and fostering the replication of NEMO’s services.
Website
www.gate21.dk
Contacts
Karolina Huss, Senior Project Manager and Developer
Karolina.huss@21.dk
Peter Liljenberg, Communication manager, Smart Cities & Communities
Peter.Liljenberg@gate21.dk
UNIVERSITY OF CANTABRIA
The University of Cantabria (UC) is a modern public institution whose main purpose is to contribute to social progress through teaching and scientific excellence. The university’s Construction Technology Applied Research Group has developed more than 100 R&D projects in the fields of pavement structure construction, sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS), the application of geosynthetics in construction, slope stabilization and sustainable construction, among others.
Main tasks
The University of Cantabria will work with the development of a combined noise and emissions mitigation solution that will join multifunctional barriers with new pavements. They will be in charge of the development and laboratory characterization of asphalt mixes to mitigate noise and emissions for both urban and peri-urban roads. In addition, University of Cantabria will offer support during the production of asphalt mixes for the accelerating loading test in Nantes to be conducted by Université Gustave Eiffel and design the asphalt mixtures according to the criteria proposed by M+P.
Website
www.web.unican.es
SINTEF AS
The institute SINTEF Digital from SINTEF AS provides research and development in areas ranging from acoustics, communication and navigation, to sensor technology, microtechnology, computational software, security and safety. Its work ranges from technical analysis to the design and implementation of complete systems.
Main tasks
SINTEF will contribute to the development and implementation of acoustic sensor technology to measure the noise emission levels of passing vehicles in a traffic stream. This will be based on the use of microphone arrays. Based on its previous experience, SINTEF will also develop and implement an algorithm that derives the engine speed from the acoustic signal of a passing vehicle.
Website
www.sintef.no
Contacts
Mr Truls Svenn Berge, Research Scientist
Truls.Berge@sintef.no
COMUNE DI FIRENZE
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982, Florence has tackled the matter of sustainability as a sort of never-ending story: the Aalborg Charter (1998), the Covenant of Mayors (2010), the Mayors Adapt and Compact of Mayors (2015) all show Florence’s peculiar position as a city that is planning for a better life in which safeguarding means protecting cultural heritage and the city’s users, both those that are visiting the city and those that are living in it.
Main tasks
Comune Di Firenze plays an important role in the demo project in Florence, where it will be facilitating permits, notifying high-emitters and distributing Low Emission Zone messages. They will also publish the results of the demo project in conferences and meetings.
Website
www.comune.fi.it
Contacts
Arnaldo Melloni, Head of the Office of Public Hygiene
arnaldo.melloni@comune.fi.it
RICARDO NEDERLAND B.V.
Ricardo Energy & Environment (Ricardo) is an internationally renowned consultancy with world-leading environmental expertise operating in the UK, Europe and across the world. Ricardo’s air quality and environment practice has over 60 years’ experience in air quality management and has developed and maintained a reputation for independent expertise in technical advice and support, policy development, implementation and evaluation.
Main tasks
Ricardo Energy & Environment oversees quality assurance. Data from the demo in Madrid will be compared with measurements from different remote sensing and portable emissions measurement systems databases. This will make it possible to verify for the first time the quality of remote sensing and multispectral camera technology for emissions measurements under real operating conditions and before validation from the Joint Research Center. Ricardo Energy & Environment will also be responsible for data analysis in the demos in Florence, Madrid and Valencia.
Website
www.ricardo.com
M+P
M+P is a private consulting company in the Netherlands, specializing in noise and vibration. Over more than 30 years, M+P has accrued very broad expertise in road and rail traffic noise and has become one of the world’s leading experts in this field. Its work counts among its portfolio various key research projects on tire/road interaction noise, the development of turn-key measurement systems and software products, as well as participation in numerous EU projects on the subject.
Main tasks
M+P will research road noise requirements and concept design, the performance of the selected sensors and algorithms, as well as the development of the remote sensing device for noise to achieve roadworthiness.
M+P will also work with the development of the NAUTILUS platform to integrate the information coming from different systems and ITS sensors and to establish a high emission or low emission categorization for each vehicle, synchronizing and integrating the remote sensing devices. It will also work on infrastructure solutions and advanced asphalt materials.
Website
www.mp.nl/en
Contacts
Mr Ard Kuijpers, CEO and Senior Consultant
ardKuijpers@mp.nl