Questions/Answers

The ACI mobility information system called “Luceverde” (Green Light) performs an integrated and innovative free public service, offering constantly updated information on road/traffic/weather conditions, events and public transport thanks to modern technology, highly qualified staff and cooperation with the Road Police, local, national and international authorities (FIA), road/highway and public transport authorities. Mobility information is a key issue to the Automobile Club d’Italia. Indeed, this is at the very heart of its institutional mission, being ACI a public body with the statutory task to oversee the manifold aspects of mobility. Luceverde aims to provide real-time, GPS-based information for multi-modal mobility through different channels: web radio, a mobile application, web site, social channels like Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Telegram, a contact centre and local radio and TV stations. It includes mobility information on: • Major traffic events on the main road networks. • Strikes, disruptions, etc. affecting national rail transport/local public transport in the major Italian cities and – recently – on the restrictions introduced by the Italian Government due to Covid19 pandemic. Managing traffic has become a strategic priority for public authorities to guarantee socio-economic development, sustainable urban mobility and environmental protection. To give an example of the typology/dimension of the problems tackled by ACI research, it is worth to mention the data collected by ACI in 2009 (launch of our first pilot in Rome), which shows that the cost to the Italian motorists for the time wasted in the city centres due to traffic congestion was above 40 billion EUR. The aims of the initiative are: -to enhance accessibility to/mobility in urban centres and metropolitan areas through advanced technology services designed for the community of mobility users; - to gain certified information about mobility by integrating local information sources via a multichannel approach, thus enhancing public safety.

Luceverde contributes to the key public policy areas and goals of the 2030 Agenda because the project was developed in cooperation with the relevant stakeholders, public and private (national/international) authorities dealing with mobility and road safety, and citizens’ associations. The project is an example of public digital transformation for its: -interoperability with the IT systems of the local Public Authorities involved, which allows to integrate the general mobility information with the mobility data concerning the specific areas covered by participating partners; - multichannel modes to deliver services (i.e. portal luceverde.it, Luceverde Radio, mobile app, social media, advanced Contact Center).

Luceverde has contributed to SDG11 because it has been developed as a Governance system to improve road safety and to guarantee sustainable, inclusive, and safe cities. The system is based on innovative solutions to promote good governance among Ministries, public administrations, national and international authorities, road authorities, public transport entities and non-governmental bodies with an interest in the fields of mobility and road safety. It is designed to be public, free, integrated with the local systems of the competent public authorities that can have an easier contact with the stakeholders. The benefits of the project are: reliability and wide dissemination of the information, with about 2.075.088 - annual increase- citizens reached by the service, including Rome, Milan and Genoa,with a population of a total of 13.929.077 citizens covered at the end of 2019; flexibility in responding to all info-mobility needs in ordinary and extraordinary situations; continuous exchange of knowledge between national and local bodies, thus creating and developing a common valuable know-how on mobility; support to local bodies progressively joining the network, by providing them with fundamental information to manage traffic in critical situations (Jubilee 2016, Covid19 pandemic 2020).

Luceverde is a strategic goal to ACI. By 2021, the service will be available in 19 cities, progressively providing 120 bulletins a month and potentially reaching over 16 million users. Investment is in line with the project size and relevance, with a total of €1,028,000 for 2019 and € 689,000 for 2020. The aim of the service is to improve mobility and road safety in urban centres as well as making cities more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, while protecting the environment.

The project addresses multiple shortfalls in the current system, in terms of lack of integration and little trust of the citizens in the public administration action. It develops networks, builds confidence among the users and creates a centralized IT platform. The project is indeed based on a network of local bodies, police forces, local police, government authorities, road and highways authorities, public transport management entities, national and local media and private/non-profit sector with an interest in the fields of mobility and road safety to offer a quality service to citizens. The project aims to improve information access through multi-channel approaches and to increase the trust between the citizens and the government, thereby guaranteeing safe and sustainable mobility. The Luceverde system provides citizens with current information and service on mobility in a specific urban area, in cooperation with local institutions whose operators collect, edit and monitor the information by accessing directly the IT platform.

The Luceverde system was developed to meet the needs of all drivers: men, women, young, elderly and disabled. The service provides information about mobility in a user friendly manner to allow drivers to find out specific information about their urban area. The service is available to everyone seven days per week from 6:45 am until 8 pm and covers all people who travel. Furthermore, the system pays special attention to commuters who travel daily and may encounter difficulties on the road.

The target groups are: regions, provinces, municipalities, police forces, provincial governors (Prefetti), national and international road authorities, media, citizens, commuters and users with disabilities. The main outcomes are: collaboration with public and private international/national/local stakeholders to search innovative solutions for sustainable mobility, and provision of real-time information on mobility, traffic and road conditions in urban areas, especially on major and minor roads connecting the outskirts with the city centre, so as to help citizens plan their daily urban trips, save time and avoid possible road accidents. Some figures (2019) of the project include: over 100 associated radio stations for more than 3 million listeners; 6 local TV channels as media partners; 60 live tv broadcasts; 700 video bulletins, 24.000 bulletins produced; 500 live broadcasts and 20 million post views on social media. Recently, to address the needs of the disabled, we implemented Place for me, a device with a detecting sensor that emits an acoustic signal when non-authorized drivers park in spaces reserved for people with disabilities. Actually, 200 devices are being tested in parking stalls in Rome, Genoa and Velletri.

Following the first development plan 2009-2015, Luceverde has been further implemented and strengthened over the years, notably starting from 2016. ACI Dept. for Road Safety Education, Mobility and Tourism is responsible for the project, while our in-house company, ACI Infomobility, has been entrusted with the management of the mobility information services. Luceverde initiative is focused on collection, processing and delivery of traffic information. Information collection is made in collaboration with local authorities such as Road Police, Carabinieri, Municipal Police, Municipalities, ANAS, AISCAT. As to the project implementation, the main activities have been the following: -access to news on road and traffic conditions supplied by official sources, drafting of written or vocal text for mobility info bulletins; -implementation of the IT platform, planning, implementation and management of the web portal luceverde.it, which provides a general overview of mobility and road conditions. Traffic info is available through interactive maps as well as through news bulletins from the web radio; -management of the web radio “Luceverde Radio”; -maintenance of the App Luceverde. Since 2017, the activities have been gradually extended along with the project development, as follows:  launch of an advanced Contact Center, integrated with IT systems and based on automatic responses to supply telephone information about all the cities participating in Luceverde City;  development of Luceverde City activities in order to extend the information services to an increasing number of municipalities. In line with the rules on the assessment of the Public sector performance, monitoring activities concerning Luceverde are carried out periodically, based on the ACI assessment system. The assessment is carried out at the end of every year to check the achievement of the targets referred to the indicators.

The main feature of Luceverde is the interoperability with the IT systems of the local Public Authorities involved, which enables integration of general mobility info with mobility data concerning the specific areas covered by participating partners. This means that the local authorities are asked to feed the Luceverde system with the information they collect autonomously. Unfortunately, some partners couldn’t do this activity, because of shortage of staff. This obstacle has been overcome by introducing a direct connection between Luceverde system and the management SW of local Police and automatic feeds from ACI database for news bulletins and mobility information services.

Luceverde’s main innovative features concern its organization and technology. Organizational level - flexibility: responds to all mobility-info needs; - completeness: integrates information at national and local level; - continuity: available 7 days week, year round, from 6.45 am to 8.00 pm; - systemic interaction with Public Authorities to cater for community needs at no cost both for users and participating partners; - multichannel service. Technological level - interoperable technology system; - full, multimedia accessibility; - customized information; - advanced, user-friendly systems, such as the Advanced Contact Center; - direct connection with the management SW of local Police; - widget interface.

Luceverde mobility information system didn't draw inspiration from any other initiatives. As a public body, ACI aims to study and research solutions to address mobility issues, so as to promote safe and smooth mobility and to protect motorists and the community. On the basis of mobility analysis, ACI released the innovative Luceverde system, designed to be public, free and integrated with the local systems of competent public authorities. The multichannel approach is a peculiar creative feature of the system, which allows making national and local information available through different channels.

Luceverde IT platform is advanced. Notably it: •enables connection with software interfaces of the stakeholders •a direct connection with the management SW of local Police allows information to be automatically entered into Luceverde platform. •collects and automatically displays information on the luceverde.it portal and on the widgets of participating local authorities. Among the channels of spreading information, Luceverde uses an Advanced Contact Center which can be reached through the toll-free number 800 183434. The system, based on an automatic response with artificial voice, supplies information in full safety (no need to use any telephone keyboard).

No, to our organization's knowledge, the initiative hasn't been transferred in any other contexts.

The initiative is an example of good practice, potentially yielding added value also for other countries. Its distinctive features are replicable by other entities, as recognized in international fora: • prevailing use of ICT, with concrete results in terms of creation of a multichannel network with public authorities; • focus on community needs, which enables to satisfy the emerging expectations; • interaction through social media, to meet the needs of increasingly connected users; • constant exchange of knowledge between national and local public authorities, thus increasing the respective know-how and a shared know-how on mobility matters; • support to participating local authorities, by making available advanced free tools for traffic management; • proximity to the territory, which enables catering for different mobility needs; • attention to quality standards; • promotion of social responsibility, with considerable impact on the quality of life in cities in terms of improved mobility and environmental protection; • stakeholders involvement and public-private partnerships, which ensure improved services thanks to the contribution of different know-how and resources, whereas the involvement of private partners (radio-TV stations) enhances dissemination of a service of public interest.

The project required the following resources. Human resources  ACI: 8 people  ACI Infomobility: 1 manager and Contact Center for Social Media & Web: 22 agents; Data Collection Broadcast & Webcast: 22 agents Technological resources The Operations Centre: 7 days/week, year round. The Contact Centre for Social Media & Web: 1 open space with 20 workstations. The Data Collection Broadcast & Webcast: 1 newsroom with 12 workstations, 1 audio/video production centre with: − 1 web-radio control room, 1 studio − 5 multimedia rooms - The App for iOS & Android. Financial resources 2019: €1,028,000

Luceverde is a strategic goal to ACI, on account of its statutory task to supply mobility information. The development of Luceverde services is included in the ACI Performance Plan 2019/2021. Notably: • the info-mobility service will be extended so as to cover a total of 19 cities by 2021; • services developments: spreading of the web radio with customized contents, enhancement of the Contact Centre; • developments will be integrated with further activities, i.e. delivery of traffic information through other channels. Investments for 2021 will be €996,000. Therefore Luceverde is sustainable at the institutional and financial level.

نعم

The project has received very positive assessments. Internally, it is evaluated by both the ACI summit governing bodies and the independent assessment body, which assesses achievements against performance objectives, quarterly and at the end of the year. Externally, the accountability of the results before the Government and, more generally, the citizens is ensured by the publication of the ACI Performance Report 2019 in the ACI website. The project has also been evaluated by an independent pool of international experts in the framework of the European Public Sector Award - EPSA 2019, ranking one of the four best practice projects.

The internal evaluation is based on an internal assessment system, in line with the rules governing Italian Public Administrations. Indicators are predefined in official annual and multiannual planning documents - approved by summit bodies - and measure results in both quantitative and qualitative terms: number of agreements, municipalities and citizens engaged, number of bulletins and broadcasts, number of views of Luceverde Portals. Annual targets are assigned to each indicator. The external evaluation carried out by EPSA was based on 6 evaluation criteria: innovation, stakeholder involvement, relevance of actions, results, sustainability, potential for adaptability, plus on-site evaluation.

As for 2019, as stated in the ACI Performance Report 2019, the main assessment highlights the full achievement of the annual performance objectives. In particular, the evaluation has shown (i) correct use of available budget (ii) enhancement of the info-mobility system in Italy, with a total of 12 cities covered (currently 16) (iii) increase in the number of potentially reachable citizens, with a total of 13,929,077 (currently 15,239,000) (iv) completion of the customized webradio for ACI members (v) development of the advanced contact center, with new services and an extension to include new cities (vi) upgrade of the Luceverde App to a new management system. The external evaluation emphasized in particular (i) addressing key issues for the public sector: urban mobility, road safety and environmental protection (ii) correspondence with the real needs of society (iii) extensive stakeholder co-operation (public authorities, business, civil society), as the real strength of the project (iv) interoperability with the IT systems of the local public authorities involved (v) the high degree of innovation of the project. All of this supported the development plan for the next three years in line with actions taken and with the objective of further improving Luceverde services.

ACI is the national public body in charge of overall mobility matters, under the supervision of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. ACI collaborates with other competent authorities to “find solutions for the development and organization of the mobility of people and goods and the enhancement of road-network, road-signs and road-assistance equipment towards improving traffic regularity and safety” (Art.4, ACI Statutes). As a qualified referee for other Public Administrations, bodies and relevant stakeholders, including citizens associations, ACI has always worked on these matters in cooperation with the main institutional entities - at international, national and local level - by conducting initiatives, studies/research, meeting and events. Important institutional partnerships are established with FIA- Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, ISTAT- Italian National Institute of Statistics, CENSIS- Study Center for Social Investments, Ministry of Infrastructures and Transport, Government/local authorities, Road Police and Municipal Police Forces, road authorities and road victims’ associations. In this framework, ACI has used its info-mobility know-how to create Luceverde as a new collaborative project to improve local info-mobility through institutional agreements with Municipalities and their Police Forces, which have a direct link with the territory and knowledge of local mobility.

The project was developed with extensive stakeholder cooperation, including: -subnational authorities -Local Police -Police Forces (State Police, Road Police, Carabinieri) -Governmental authorities (Prefectures) -road and highway authorities (ANAS, Autostrade SpA, AISCAT) -public transport management entities (rail-, air- and sea national and local lines) -national and local media (radio and TV stations) Specific stakeholders join the network during big events. For example: ● during the Jubilee 2016, Vatican Radio, the Rome Authority for Mobility Services and Trenitalia were involved to create a network catering for pilgrims, tourists and residents ● the official radio of the concert 2017 “Vasco Modena Park” was involved to provide all the information needed to enable an audience of 220,000 fans to flow in and out of the event venue ● since November 2018, “Luceverde Genova” facilitates tourist flows towards Genoa and such city attractions as the Genoa Aquarium and Galata Sea Museum, thanks to an agreement between ACI and Costa Edutainment SpA and to cooperation with the Municipality and Local Police of Genoa. Public stakeholders are involved by means of memoranda of understanding signed by the relevant representatives (Mayor, Municipal Police Commander, ACI President).

The ten-year experience in the project has emphasized a number of key aspects such as: - the importance of cooperation among public bodies for a more integrated and simplified service for the benefit of citizens; - the requirement for a thorough knowledge of local conditions and setups in order to build services that must adapt to differing and evolving situations; - the vital role played by flexibility in establishing adaptable services; - providing hi-tech services, in line with the latest scientific developments, capable of ensuring maximum accessibility, reliability and effectiveness of information. Based on the lessons learnt, ACI planned the actions and project development for the upcoming years in accordance with the following guidelines: - consolidate and extend the cooperation with the private and public entities involved, thereby enhancing the spreading and knowledge of the service and at the same time increasing geographic coverage with an ever wider and more effective info-mobility system; - develop new and ever more modern, flexible and customized functionalities in line with the actions already taken – i.e. new IT platform, evolution of the Contact Centre, web radio and news bulletins, development of the customized and virtual assistance service called Around Me.