HI-CAM: Helmholtz Climate Initiative

Background of the project

The Helmholtz Climate Initiative Adaptation and Mitigation (HI-CAM) consists of two different research clusters: 1) Mitigation and 2) Adaptation. Mitigation comprises four projects dedicated to researching strategies that could make Germany CO2-neutral by 2050. The nine research projects belonging to Adaptation, on the other hand, investigate how society could adapt to the consequences of climate change in various areas.

The mobility project, which is led by the Institute for Transport Research, is one of the nine projects belonging to the Adaptation research cluster. On the one hand, it investigates the possible effects of climate change on mobility in passenger and freight transport and specifically in urban areas. To this end, the relationships between weather conditions and mobility behavior are analyzed on the basis of traffic models. Different scenarios are used to determine how the future weather conditions expected as a result of climate change could affect transport performance and people's mobility.

Use of the MovingLab

As part of the project, MovingLab subjects were asked about the significance of weather conditions with regard to their mobility behavior. On the one hand, the aim was to find out whether and how the test persons inform themselves about the expected weather conditions before planning their trips. On the other hand, people were asked how specific weather conditions influence their choice of a means of transport. This was surveyed both in general terms and in relation to the specific routes taken during the survey.

The results provide valuable insights for the HI-CAM project with regard to the following questions:

  • What influence do weather conditions (rain, sun, heat, etc.) have on the choice of means of transport?

  • Do the influences differ between different groups of people (age, gender, occupation, etc.)?

  • Do the influences differ with regard to different mobility routines (e.g. car drivers, cyclists, public transport users, etc.)?

Client

The project is funded by the Helmholtz Association.

project partner

A total of 15 of the 19 Helmholtz centers are involved in the Helmholtz Climate Initiative. The mobility project includes the following institutes:

  • Institute for Transport Research
  • Institute for Vehicle Concepts
  • German Remote Sensing Center
  • Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research

Project duration

From 07/2019 until 12/2021