GOAT as a cross-stakeholder planning platform in the MRN

Application of GOAT in the MRN

GOAT is now online for the entire Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region (MRN) -- our largest customer to date.

As a SaaS subscription, the digital planning tool is used by various stakeholders and institutions to answer numerous planning questions related to sustainable mobility in tourism. In addition to the standard functions, region-specific data is also implemented and further functionalities are developed according to the MRN's wishes.

On-Boarding Training

To kick off the use of GOAT, we travelled to the MRN's headquarters, the Haus der Region in Mannheim, and held an on-site training session there. Project manager Marius Jörres, planners and GIS experts from the MRN, the Transport association „Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (VRN)“ and the City of Heidelberg, as well as participants from the Tourism Association Südpfalz were present.

After a general introduction and guided tutorials through our planning tool GOAT, the participants were allowed to use the tool themselves to answer their own planning questions. The analyses carried out were just as diverse as the participants. Among others, the following questions were answered using GOAT:

• Which tourist attractions are easily accessible from Hotel XY on foot, by bike or by public transport?
• How good is the public transport offer in the districts X and Y in Heidelberg?
• How well accessible is a newly planned building area by public transport?
• Local transport plan for district XY: Which areas have insufficient accessibility to bus stops?

Next steps

With the successful completion of the on-boarding training, the use of GOAT is now starting in regular operation. We are looking forward to introducing more users to GOAT in the coming weeks and will provide them with continuous support.

We are looking forward to the joint cooperation with the MRN and would like to thank project manager Marius Jörres for the smooth process and continuous support -- and thus hand over the floor to him at the end of this blog post:

Statement of the project manager

As the project manager for Smart Mobility in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region, Marius Jörres, I am pleased to announce the partnership with Plan4Better. With the implementation of GOAT, an advanced analytics tool, we are aiming for a transformative change in our transport infrastructure.

Our main initiative is to analyse the accessibility of points of interest (POIs) as part of the Smart Region Project Rhine-Neckar. This will enable us to derive targeted measures to improve the accessibility of tourist destinations throughout the region.

In addition, GOAT will serve as a collaborative tool for both administrative bodies and companies to develop and implement:

• Local transport plans
• Local mobility concepts
• Cycling concepts
• Corporate mobility management concepts
• Strategic planning for walking, cycling and public transport
• Charging infrastructure

This enables greater integration and cooperation between different stakeholders in our region, contributing to an integrated and sustainable transport system.

This innovation represents a significant step towards an intelligent, efficient and sustainable mobility landscape that enhances the quality of life for people in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region.

Interested in GOAT?

Would you like to bring GOAT to your region or are you interested in more information? Contact us or test the free GOAT demo!

You can find more interesting references about GOAT here.