Opportunities in Fryslân for mobility and infrastructure
In the FNS partner interviews, we feature a partner every week. Our partners give insight into developments and innovations within their organisation and their role in 6G Future Network Services.
In a recent interview, Harm Dijkstra, working for the province of Fryslân, spoke about their role in mobility and infrastructure and their involvement in technological developments such as FNS and 6G. Harm, with 15 years of experience within the province, sees that it is sometimes difficult for the government to keep pace with technological innovations.
Importance of infrastructure and mobility
Harm explains that Fryslân has several provincial responsibilities, with infrastructure being one of the core tasks. "We manage both roads and waterways," he says, stressing the importance of waterways because of Fryslân's watery character.
In addition, the province has an important role in influencing mobility behaviour. "We want to encourage people to travel more sustainably," Harm says. He points to initiatives to encourage the use of cycling and public transport, or the switch to electric driving.
Besides infrastructure management and influencing behaviour, the province plays a directorial role in monitoring developments within the region. This can range from encouraging research into the application of drones to thinking along with the national introduction of truck charging. "We try to respond to trends and new technologies, but this does not always happen quickly," says Harm.
Technological developments and challenges
The conversation also discussed Fryslân's involvement in the FNS program. Although the province of Fryslân is an official partner, Harm acknowledges that the province currently still plays a rather passive role. "We are hooked up to FNS, but in practice we still do little," he admits.
Nevertheless, Harm sees great opportunities in these technological developments. The province's ambition is to act as a testing ground for autonomous transport. This is evidenced by the fact that, as the Northern Netherlands, they have one of the five European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) in the Netherlands, with Autonomous Systems as their focus area. Although autonomous transport is still in its early stages, it is important to have fast networks such as 5G and 6G to enable pilot projects. "Without those digital networks, we cannot do successful trials of autonomous driving," he says. The province is therefore supporting FNS so that these technologies can be further developed towards practical applications.
Drones and autonomous transport
Harm also discusses the possibilities of drones in Fryslân. "We are investigating whether drones can be used for fast transport, for example to the Wadden Islands," he explains. "We have also considered the possibility of using Drachten airport as a drone hub. Yet similar plans often run into regulations, both in terms of aviation and nature protection," he adds.
Autonomous transport has also been explored, albeit on a small scale for now. "We are largely dependent on developments in the automotive market," Harm said. Another innovative area Fryslân sees potential in is unmanned boating. "We are thinking about how unmanned boating can solve certain problems, such as avoiding collisions with bridges. This can help prevent damage to our important infrastructure," says Harm.
Future
Although the province of Fryslân's participation in FNS is limited, Harm certainly sees its potential for the future. Said innovations in autonomous transport and unmanned boating can, he says, offer significant benefits for the region. "We see the developments and participate because we realise that these technologies can be crucial for mobility and infrastructure in our beautiful province. In the shorter term, we see more frequent monitoring of natural values (the quality of air, water and soil) becoming important. And we see a similar trend in measuring mobility (goods and traffic flows). Here, too, FNS can play an important role with better (and ultimately cheaper) sensors," Harm concludes.