ALICE and Urban logistics projects at Urban Mobility days (UMDs) in Sevilla
ALICE and other Urban logistics projects were at the Urban ...
Home
/ Activities / ALICE projects /
DISCO
Data-driven, Integrated, Synchromodal, Collaborative and Optimised urban freight meta model for a new generation of urban logistics and planning with data sharing at European Living Labs
AUTOSUP is a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action that aims to accelerate the transition towards seamless multimodal automated freight transport and strengthen the role of logistics hubs as interconnected nodes within a Physical Internet logistics network
Project information
Status
Ongoing
Duration
42 months
Funding programme
Horizon Europe Innovation Action
Call
HORIZON-CL5-2022-D6-02
Grant Agreement Number
101103954
ALICE Project Manager
Factsheet
Related ALICE Thematic Group
Related Community
Keywords
- Urban logistics
- Physical internet
- Digitalisation
- Urban Freight Data Space
- Data interoperability
Project overview
European cities are facing increasing pressure to manage growing freight transport demand while reducing congestion, emissions and inefficient use of urban space. Freight data remains fragmented across stakeholders, limiting cities' ability to plan and manage logistics operations effectively.
DISCO addresses this challenge through a federated European Urban Freight Data Space that enables secure, trusted and voluntary data sharing between public and private stakeholders. The project combines advanced data infrastructures, digital tools and Physical Internet principles to create a new generation of Sustainable Urban Logistics Plans (SULPs) integrated with Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs).
Objectives and expected outcomes
Objectives
DISCO aims to:
01
Develop a federated European Urban Freight Data Space for trusted and interoperable data sharing.
02
Develop a Physical Internet-led Meta Model Suite to support the digital transformation of urban logistics.
03
Improve freight visibility, data-driven decision-making and planning capabilities for cities and logistics stakeholders.
04
Enable the secure, interoperable and scalable exchange and reuse of urban logistics data.
05
Demonstrate and validate innovative urban logistics solutions through Starring and Twinning Living Labs across Europe.
06
Support the integration of urban logistics solutions and approaches into SULPs and SUMPs.
07
Support the replication and transferability of successful solutions across different European urban contexts.
08
Support the market uptake and exploitation of innovative urban logistics solutions through viable business models and exploitation pathways.
Expected results
Key project outputs include:
01
European Urban Freight Data Space.
02
DISCO Meta Model Suite.
03
Urban logistics digital transition, Digital Twin and data-driven applications for urban logistics planning and operations.
04
Data governance, interoperability and onboarding frameworks enabling trusted data exchange and reuse through the Urban Freight Data Space.
05
Urban logistics planning and decision-support tools and solutions demonstrated through the Living Labs.
06
Policy recommendations and guidance supporting the integration of innovative urban logistics solutions into SULPs and SUMPs.
07
Business models, exploitation strategies and IPR approaches supporting the uptake and sustainability of key project results.
08
Replication blueprints and implementation guidance supporting transfer to other European cities.
Demonstrations, pilots and validation
DISCO validates its solutions through a network of living labs and follower cities across Europe.
Starring living labs
STARRING LIVING LAB 01
Helsinki (Finland)
- Shared micro-hubs and flexible use of urban space.
- Dynamic low-emission zones.
- Integration with Helsinki's Mobility Digital Twin.
STARRING LIVING LAB 02
Ghent (Belgium)
- Urban Access Control integration in transport planning, enabling access regulations to be configured, monitored and integrated into logistics operations.
- Testing of dynamic access management approaches in an urban logistics context.
STARRING LIVING LAB 03
Thessaloniki (Greece)
- A digital marketplace supporting the sharing and use of available warehouse and storage capacity.
- Testing of shared and temporary warehousing models to support more flexible urban logistics operations.
STARRING LIVING LAB 04
Copenhagen (Denmark)
- Urban freight data collection and analytics.
- Digital Twin-supported planning.
- Shared consolidation hubs.
Twinning living labs
TWINNING LIVING LAB 01
Barcelona (Spain)
- Curbside management tool for more efficient allocation and management of loading and unloading space.
- Data-driven support for urban freight planning and curbside use.
TWINNING LIVING LAB 02
Valencia (Spain)
- Urban Logistics Disaster Plan for maintaining and coordinating logistics operations during emergencies and disruptive events.
- Collaboration framework involving public authorities, emergency services and logistics stakeholders.
TWINNING LIVING LAB 03
Zaragoza (Spain)
- Parcel Location Tool supporting the planning and optimisation of parcel locker locations.
- Data-driven support for parcel delivery infrastructure planning and out-of-home delivery networks.
TWINNING LIVING LAB 04
Padua (Italy)
- E-Pods with internal lockers for flexible and zero-emission urban deliveries.
- Integration of mobile consolidation and parcel-locker functions into last-mile logistics operations.
Follower cities and regions
01 Piacenza (Italy)
02 Prague (Czech Republic)
03 North Hesse (Germany)
04 Aarhus (Denmark)
Innovative solutions
DISCO develops a portfolio of complementary innovations.
The DISCO Meta Model Suite brings together five interconnected innovation areas: DISCOCURB for dynamic curbside and street-space management; DISCOPROXI for shared urban spaces, lockers and proximity delivery solutions; DISCOESTATE for multi-purpose and temporary use of building space; DISCOBAY for multimodal consolidation and distribution; and DISCOLLECTION for smart data collection, access control and real-time routing.
ALICE's role
ALICE participates in DISCO to strengthen knowledge and expertise on Physical Internet-enabled urban logistics, data sharing and sustainable planning. ALICE serves as the Exploitation Manager and is a member of the Project Governing Board (PGB).
ALICE contributes to:
- Leading Task 7.4 on capitalising synergies with related initiatives and projects.
- Coordinating the Impact Creation Board for Transformation (ICBT).
- Supporting dissemination and stakeholder engagement activities.
- Supporting the exploitation and market uptake of project results, including the development of value propositions and business models for key exploitable results.
- Supporting Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) assessment and the definition of appropriate exploitation pathways for project results.
- Mapping related initiatives and projects in urban freight and data sharing.
- Facilitating collaboration between public authorities, logistics providers and technology stakeholders.
- Contributing to the DISCO Policy Package, translating Living Lab experiences and lessons learned into policy recommendations and future urban logistics planning frameworks.
Related ALICE activities
Related Physical Internet activities
- ALICE Roadmap towards the Physical Internet
- Physical Internet implementation and standardisation activities
- Urban logistics digital transition initiatives, including activities developed through the Digital Urban Freight Community on data sharing, interoperability and collaboration
Related project contributions
- DISCO Knowledge Hub on urban logistics innovations and replication
- Urban Freight Data Space adoption and dissemination activities
Project resources
- Project website: http://discoprojecteu.com/
- LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/disco-project-eu/
- X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/DISCOprojectEU
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DISCOprojectEU
-
Project leaflet:bDISCO project leaflet
- Project overview poster: DISCO project overview poster
Project consortium
The project consortium is led by Paola Cossu, CEO of FIT Consulting and Co-Chair of ALICE Urban Logistics Thematic Group and consists of 46 additional partners representing different stakeholders.
ALICE members in the consortium
The consortium also includes cities, local authorities, research institutes, innovation centres, universities, technology and services providers, clusters, data associations, consulting offices.
Related news
ALICE stands out in a recent publication by Covenant of Mayors - Europe
We are thrilled to announce that ALICE stands out among ...
TRA 2024 – ALICE looks forward to welcoming you at our Logistics Innovation Village
ALICE is one of the co-organizers of the next Transport ...
Urban Logistics Projects shined at TRA2024 in Dublin
Several research and innovation projects on urban logistics funded by ...
Related events
[POLIS-ALICE webinar series 2026] Mixed use of Urban Space for City Logistics
As urban populations grow and urban flows expand, cities are ...
[C40 Cities - POLIS - ALICE Webinar]: Let’s talk about parcel locker: location, size, and operation
As a key infrastructure in urban logistics, parcel lockers are ...
[Webinar]: Find Space for Mobility and Logistics Data #1
di Background: The rules for common European data spaces cover ...
[Workshop] Digitalization and data sharing discussion paper
The future of efficient logistics through synchronised data sharing In ...
EU funding
DISCO This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under grant agreement No 101103954. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.