Vodafone data improves infra, public transport in Italy

Vodafone Business has launched a new mobility study in Italy’s Campania Region, in partnership with transport company Ente Autonomo Volturno (EAV).

The study uses non-personal, anonymised mobile data to provide insights into the precise movements of travellers. This data helps local authorities plan future investments in infrastructure and transport.

Monitoring movements

Vodafone Business is working with two partners to collect and analyse the data. Motion Analytica is an innovative start-up that analyses the movement of people to offer data and artificial intelligence-based solutions. GO Mobility is a company specialising in the analysis and planning of mobility through big data and the development of simulation models.

Vodafone Analytics technology was used to collect data from the mobile networks in real time. Anonymised data was taken from 23 million SIM cards, 200 thousand phones and 30 billion daily reference positions. The study looked at the network data within both private and public transport routes, from suburban networks to main motorways.

Over the twelve months from April 2023 to March 2024, the data showed an average of 2.9 million people travelled through Campania every day, with a peak of 3.2 million in June and July.

Data like this helps EAV to understand the most popular routes and stations. It can use the data to help decide on the scheduling of transport services, both road and rail, to ease waiting time and disperse movements in often overcrowded areas.

Vodafone data improves infrastructure and public transport in Italy
Creating simulation models

The mobile data collected by Vodafone Analytics can also be combined with other forms of data relating to transport in the Campania Region, to develop a simulation model that can reproduce current movement and forecast scenarios.

These simulations can react to real time data, such as the number of passengers boarding or alighting at EAV stations. They can also identify other ways to optimise the travel network, such as identifying the number of car journeys that could be transferred to public transport.

This data collection study follows others, such as the analytics work with Italy's Ferrovie dello Stato Group. This further proves how the data from mobile customers can provide insights to deliver value and efficiency gains on a huge scale.