The research project DIGINET-PS aims to facilitate the development and the validation of automated and autonomous driving including all of its broader aspects under real-life conditions. To make this work, the Straße des 17. Juni is turned into a connected, urban infrastructure test field.
The test field will serve as a playground for regional and national companies, R&D units and Universities allowing them to experience impact of autonomous driving on a real urban infrastructure. In doing so, DIGINET-PS sets standards as the first research project, which brings autonomous driving into the heart of a complex city infrastructure. Besides the project’s goals, DIGINET-PS directly contributes to the mobility section of the Smart-City strategy of the City of Berlin and supports the urban development programme “Digitale Agenda”.

Key facts

The test field will be used to evaluate future technologies that revolve around connected driving in an urban environment. These technologies aim to improve traffic flows, to relieve drivers, to create new economic value and to increase the level of environmental protection. In order to adequately test these future technologies, an open platform is required. Such platform makes it possible to include the latest societal challenges and to evaluate and assess technologies and solutions in a real-life setting.

Due to the fact that the proposed field test is located within the centre of Berlin, the pilot operation will not only facilitate the collection of data that helps us to determine the maturity of fundamental technologies, but also to collect valuable data about the impact of autonomous driving on conventional traffic. The envisioned test field follows the course of Straße des 17. Juni and also includes all northern neighbouring streets. Both, the topology of this street network as well as the extremely complex parking situation at the site bears some highly demanding challenges for the vehicle and for the infrastructure.

The test site is located within the highly innovative district of Berlin-Charlottenburg, which can furthermore be understood as a reference location for complex traffic situations in an urban infrastructure – both factors substantiate the attractiveness of the test site.