Riga Is Developing an Integrated Mobility Data Ecosystem for the Metropolitan Area
The Riga Digital Agency, a municipal agency of the Riga City Municipality, is implementing an ambitious project that, for the first time, aims to conduct an in-depth assessment of diverse transport and mobility data across the entire Riga Metropolitan Area. As part of the project, the city is developing a unified transport data platform and creating and acquiring modern mobility analytics tools to pave the way for data-driven transport planning in Riga and its surrounding municipalities.
Data Fragmentation – An Obstacle to Developing a Modern Transport System in the Riga Metropolitan Area
Currently, transport and mobility data across the Riga Metropolitan Area are collected, stored and used by different departments and information systems within the metropolitan municipalities and transport operators. As a result, traffic planning data are often stored in one database, roadworks and public transport information in another, while the city’s geospatial data are kept in yet another system. At present, each municipality independently collects data on traffic flows, cycling volumes, roadworks schedules and the geographical distribution of traffic accidents. Consequently, mobility planning specialists must invest considerable resources in searching for, consolidating and cleaning data before they can obtain a comprehensive picture of how people travel from door to door and begin meaningful analysis.
Another significant challenge is the limited and fragmented availability of data on mobility flows beyond Riga’s administrative boundaries. However, the Riga Metropolitan Area represents a single economic and mobility space: hundreds of thousands of residents from Ādaži, Mārupe, Salaspils, Ķekava, Olaine, Ropaži, Sigulda and Jūrmala cross these boundaries every day. Transport planning that ignores actual travel patterns, fails to collect the relevant data and does not develop appropriate mobility flow models is structurally and functionally incomplete. Establishing a unified data ecosystem is therefore an important prerequisite for ensuring that future decisions and investments in transport infrastructure are based on the most comprehensive, up-to-date and comparable information possible.
The Solution: A Unified Platform for All Mobility Data
The aim of the project “Development of a Unified Mobility Data Ecosystem” is to address these challenges by establishing a systematic and functional approach to data management, accessibility and use for everyday mobility and transport planning.
The unified data platform will integrate transport monitoring data that have so far been underutilised, including information from traffic lights, traffic sensors and video analytics systems. In parallel, Riga’s Transport Simulation Model (TSM) will be modernised. Using these integrated data sources, the model will enable more accurate traffic flow forecasts, assessment of the impact of transport infrastructure changes on people’s mobility within the city, and more precise investment planning.
Given the volume and scale of existing transport data in Riga and its surrounding areas, a key project component is the testing of artificial intelligence and machine learning tools. These will make it possible to identify trends in large datasets, generate forecasts and automatically produce reports that currently take weeks to prepare.
Cooperation Across the Entire Metropolitan Area
The project goes beyond organising and managing transport data within the Riga City Municipality. It also aims to develop a legal and organisational cooperation model with eight municipalities in the Riga Metropolitan Area: Ādaži, Jūrmala, Ķekava, Mārupe, Olaine, Ropaži, Salaspils and Sigulda. As part of the project, the municipalities will jointly identify mobility planning needs and challenges, determine the data required to address them, and assess opportunities to promote data exchange and cooperation at the metropolitan level.
The planned project results are concrete and measurable: at least 10 integrated data sources, 10 open datasets made publicly available to citizens, businesses and researchers, 5 automated data reporting systems, 3 in-depth data analyses, and implemented transport simulation capabilities. One of the key project performance indicators is a reduction of at least 10% in the working time required for mobility planning and modelling, to be achieved by improving data accessibility, processing and analytical capabilities.
The project is implemented by the Riga Digital Agency (RDA) under the European Union Cohesion Policy Programme for 2021–2027. The implementation period runs from April 2025 to March 2028.
First Regional Seminar on Mobility Data Cooperation to Take Place in November
As part of the project’s communication activities, a regional workshop will take place in Riga on 10 November 2026, bringing together municipal specialists, transport planners, mobility service providers and data experts from across the Riga Metropolitan Area. The event will be held at Koka Rīga, 12 Krāsotāju Street, from 12:30 to 17:00.
The aim of the seminar is to jointly explore ways to improve mobility data exchange between municipalities, public institutions and private mobility service providers. Discussions will also address the importance and opportunities of data cooperation, with a particular focus on two shared priorities: the development of a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) for the Riga Metropolitan Area and the use of Sustainable Urban Mobility Indicators (SUMI).
The seminar programme will present the project’s initial findings on mobility data in the Riga Metropolitan Area. Arta Macijevska, Project Manager at RDA, will provide an overview of the project’s progress, while data analysts Andris Ločmanis and Egils Egle will present the findings of the data inventory and outline the development direction of the data management platform itself. Rūdolfs Cimdiņš, representing the Riga City Municipality, together with the heads of the SUMP thematic working groups, will discuss how data contributes to the development of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan for the Riga Metropolitan Area and why a high-quality data foundation is essential for any future decisions concerning transport infrastructure.
The afternoon programme will feature interactive group work, during which representatives of municipalities, public institutions and mobility service providers will discuss cooperation principles and practical barriers to data exchange in the context of SUMP and SUMI. The seminar will be moderated by urban planner Viesturs Celmiņš.
The seminar is intended for municipal transport and urban planning specialists, representatives of public institutions, public transport operators and mobility service providers. Participation is free of charge.
Seminar registration: https://forms.gle/6aZvqpSanwqJRFaa7
About the Project. The project “Development of a Unified Mobility Data Ecosystem” (No. 5.1.1.4/1/24/I/006) is implemented under Measure 5.1.1.4 “Smart Municipalities” of the European Union Cohesion Policy Programme for 2021–2027. The project is implemented by the Riga Digital Agency, a municipal agency of the Riga City Municipality. It is co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), with total funding of EUR 3,654,000.