JULIA’s pilot phase is officially launched!
As JULIA reaches its midpoint, we’re excited to share a major milestone: the official launch of our pilot activities!
Spotlight on the pilots
The JULIA project is structured around a three-tier pilot framework designed to test and validate innovative mobility solutions in real-world settings. This October, we successfully launched the Level-1 Pilots, marking a significant step forward. These are testing a series of applications in three distinct geographical regions:
- Catalonian urban and peri-urban areas (Barcelona, Lleida)
- Greek main metropolitan areas (Haidari – Athens, Thessaloniki)
- Slovenian urban and peri-urban areas (Domžale – Ljubljana, Ormož, Piran,
Kranj).
Figure: Map of the three pilot sites for the JULIA project
Launch of Level-1 pilots: brace for takeoff!
We are happy to announce that the Level-1 pilots of the JULIA project are now taking off, starting with exciting developments in Greece, Slovenia, and Spain!
Greece: Haidari and OASA student’s line on track
The Greek pilots have successfully completed their installations and are officially underway!
CERTH partner aims to deliver an application by the end of 2025, providing real-time Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) updates, supporting the project’s goal to improve Passenger Information, one of JULIA’s key performance indicators.
On 24–25 September, devices from INIT and Geonumerics were installed on vehicles. Following on-site technical validation, the pilot has now started collecting data, which will be used to develop an ETA prediction algorithm.
Meanwhile, for the regional Hellenic Train near Thessaloniki, INIT is ready to ship the necessary equipment, awaiting final steps to proceed.
Slovenia: Ormož DRT Pilot ready for launch
In Slovenia, the Ormož Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT) pilot is also preparing to start in the Kranj region.
Installations are completed, and operations will begin in approximately 2–3 weeks, pending final government approval.
Spain: Barcelona pilot slightly delayed
In Catalonia, the Lleida–La Pobla train line operated by FGC is set to begin operations at the end of November, following a short delay.
What’s coming next?
Level-2 Pilot Locations include cities, where EARTHPULSE will pilot a specific targeted use case, building on the insights gained from the Level-1 pilot locations. They will focus on developing Copernicus-enabled Air Quality Indexes for Cities (AQIC) to improve climate change monitoring in 10 cities across Europe which have been selected from the list of 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030. JULIA will support this group of cities by providing data-based evidence on environmental urban quality to improve decision making while pursuing ambitious goals to slash emissions.
Level-3 Locations include other cities, metropolitan areas, or regions across the EU that JULIA will reach out to in WP4 through an Open Call for small-scale pilots led by ERTICO, which will benefit from the experience and lessons learned in Level-1 and Level-2 pilots.
Levels 2 and 3 are on the horizon: stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks!
