As journey planning platforms are gaining more and more ground in the field of individuals’ transportations, more and more countries in Europe are trying to develop their own journey planning platforms.

   Some of these platforms are country level, such as the “IDOS” in Czechs Republic and the “9292” in The Netherlands, but there is also the Irish “Hit the road”, which helps commuters plan their route exclusively in the city of Dublin. Other journey planners cover all means of transport, such as the “Rutebok.no” in Norway, which includes rail, public transport, ferry, air, cycling and walking in its options, and other cover only daily use means of transport such as the Austrian “Scotty”, which includes rail, public transport and walking in its options. Additionally, there are journey planners which provide fare information such as the “SBB Online Fahrplan” in Switzerland and the “NMBS – SNCB” in Belgium. All these options are really helpful, but they are not enough!

    Let us set you a question. What do you know about greenhouse gas emissions?

   The greenhouse gas emissions, henceforth GHG emissions, are gases which trap heat in the atmosphere and make our planet warmer. Human activities, such as electricity production, transportation and industry, are the main sources of increasing GHG emissions in the atmosphere over the last 150 years. As a result of this increase is the climate change, which affects the planet and our lives.

  Regarding the environmental impacts, the average temperature of the planet is expected to increase and therefore snow, sea ice and glacier coverage will decrease, resulting in rising sea levels and increased coastal flooding. On the other hand, heat waves are likely to increase in frequency and severity due to temperature increase, resulting in higher risk of forest fires. In addition, many wildlife species will have difficulty in adapting to warmer climate and may be led to extinction.

   Concerning the human health impacts, higher temperatures and air pollution may cause a greater risk of health problems, such as respiratory and cardiovascular problems. Moreover, the risk of water - , food - , vector -, and rodent – borne diseases may increase, leading to daily difficulties in our lives.

    As it is obvious, the human society has to take its responsibilities in order to protect the planet and every kind of life on it. Therefore, and regarding the sector of transportations, it will be a brilliant idea the development of a journey planning platform, which includes to its operating system the option of the environmental impact of every transportation. GYM platform, which is co – funded by LIFE programme, the European Union financial instrument for the environment, will not only let commuters plan their journeys across Greece, but also will give them the opportunity to choose the most environmentally friendly route. Through an innovative algorithm, which estimates the GHG emissions, GYM team expects to decrease the GHG emissions in Greece and contribute to the initiative of European Union for the reduction of GHG emissions in Europe.

The LIFE GYM [LIFE14 ENV/GR/000611] project is co-funded by the LIFE programme, the EU financial instrument for the environment.

The sole responsibility for the content of this report lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union. Neither the EASME nor the European Commission are responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

Start Date: 15 September 2015 – Duration: 35 months