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Extreme Weather Research Project

Learning to predict disruptions from extreme weather: DB Schenker collaborates on research project


The transportation and logistics industries are facing ever-increasing pressure due to a combination of more-frequently occurring extreme weather patterns and congested roads, tight deadlines and high expectations related to delivery times. Services that predict potential disruptions caused by external factors, such as extreme weather or a shortage of parking spaces, are urgently needed in order to minimize delays and ensure journeys are handled as economically as possible.

Extrem Weather rain clouds twilight


To try and combat these disruptions, DB Schenker is collaborating on the project MeteoValue-live in Germany, together with the Jade University of Applied Science and project partners FlixMobility, CMF, Fraunhofer FOKUS, infoware and Map and Route. The project will start in August 2019 and run for three years, aiming to optimize deployment and route planning for land freight and long-distance bus companies, by predicting extreme weather conditions and the availability of parking spaces. Funding is provided by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) as part of the research initiative Modernity Fund (mFund), which aims to support development projects for data-based digital applications.

Extrem Weather Schenker Truck on snowy street


The research project, which will be managed by Prof. Dr. med. Michael Klafft, Professor of Business Informatics, aims to analyze how extreme weather conditions might affect both delivery traffic and the speed of trucks and long-distance buses in Germany. The goal of the project, which will be completed in the summer of 2022, is to provide land transportation companies with a service portfolio including a weather forecasting system, a route-based alert system, and parking availability information.

Extrem Weather rain wet windshield


Given the increasing extreme weather patterns which have been recorded globally over the past few years, DB Schenker is dedicated to minimizing the effects caused by potential disruptions, both now and in the future. Research from the MeteoValue-live project in Germany will be important in gaining critical insights and preparing for the future, both on a national and global level.