=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-2939/paper4
|storemode=property
|title=Linked MaaS: A Vision for Leveraging Semantic Web Technologies for Mobility as a Service
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2939/paper4.pdf
|volume=Vol-2939
|authors=Shams Ghazy,Jing Ying Wong,Pieter Colpaert,Yu Hoe Tang,Andy Chan
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/i-semantics/GhazyWCTC21
}}
==Linked MaaS: A Vision for Leveraging Semantic Web Technologies for Mobility as a Service==
Linked MaaS: a vision for leveraging Semantic Web Technologies for Mobility as a Service Shams Ghazy1 , Wong Jing Ying1 , Pieter Colpaert2 , Yu Hoe Tang1 , and Andy Chan1 1 University of Nottingham Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia jingying.wong@nottingham.edu.my 2 Ghent University, 9052 Gent, Belgium Abstract. Mobility as a Service (MaaS) promises to dissolve the bound- aries of today’s transport network through the integration of transport modes. However, stakeholders such as the operators, public transport au- thorities, or end-user routing application developers, are facing interop- erability barriers in the way of providing a seamless travel experience. To identify, understand, and devise a plan for integration, we must first be able to clearly define the interoperability requirements of MaaS. In this paper, we propose a framework consisting of 6 layers: (i) the Stakeholder layer, (ii) the Data layer, (iii) the Infrastructure layer, (iv) the Own- ership layer, (v) the Auth layer, and (vi) the Connection layer. In each layer, we outline the opportunities for Semantic Web technologies. In ad- dition, each layer is equipped with use-cases to illustrate the application of the framework. Through the Linked MaaS framework, we formulate a baseline that extends the research focus of semantics in transportation and builds a guideline for the development of an explicitly defined and understood MaaS. Keywords: Mobility as a Service · Linked Data · Semantic Web Tech- nologies · Integrated Mobility · Semantics · Knowledge Graphs · Smart Mobility 1 Introduction Mobility as a Service (MaaS), an emerging concept that promises to dissolve the boundaries of today’s transport network, continues to face a manifold of closed doors. The progress towards the seamless vision of MaaS, which provides users with a carefree experience of planning, booking, and payment of transport services, requires integration at multiple levels of the MaaS ecosystem, including data integration for journey planning, ticketing and payment integration, and the integration and alignment of stakeholder’s commercial goals. To identify, un- derstand, and devise a plan for integration, we must first be able to clearly define “What is a MaaS ecosystem and what are its interoperability requirements?” Copyright © 2021 for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under Creative Com- mons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). 2 S. Ghazy et al. It can be argued that having a clearer vision of what MaaS and its inter- operability requirements are is not a significant solution to the barriers facing MaaS. Yet, the lack of a common understanding of MaaS, its potential, and an agreement over its fundamentals leads to an unresolved business model which, in turn, leads to a lack of interest in stakeholders contributing to the development of MaaS. In pursuit of finding the answer to this question, a thorough literature review was used in an attempt to provide an unclouded understanding of MaaS. However, there exists over 15 definitions attributed to ”Mobility as a Service” in the literature with no agreed-upon definition [4]. Nevertheless, the literature offered a clear view of the building blocks of MaaS out of which we were able to derive a novel framework consisting of 6 intrinsic layers of the MaaS ecosys- tem. These layers will model the MaaS ecosystem enabling a clear reference for multiple questions about MaaS and within it, as well as, machine-powered an- alytics, as further illustrated through the use-cases presented under each layer. The framework has 3 Graph layers, (i) the Stakeholder layer - representing the stakeholders of the system and the relationships between them, (ii) the Data layer - representing MaaS data entities, their properties, and interconnections, and (iii) the Infrastructure layer - forming a digital twin of the physical and digi- tal infrastructure in the ecosystem. Between these layers, the framework includes three linking layers, (iv) the Ownership layer - linking stakeholders and their in- frastructure assets, (v) the Auth layer - modeling data management, ownership, and access rules for stakeholders, and (vi) the Connection layer - modeling the connectivity of the infrastructure. In this paper we propose this framework as a guiding tool for an explicitly defined and understood MaaS ecosystem. In ad- dition, we highlight the opportunities for using Semantic Web technologies as a solution to complications present in each layer. The paper begins by presenting the background behind the study and a summary of the related work. Subsequently, an overview of the Linked MaaS framework is presented which is then broken down to its constituent layers. Each layer is explained thoroughly demonstrating its applicability through example use-cases. The paper is then concluded with the vision for the Linked MaaS framework and a few examples of synergistic use-cases that benefit from the framework holistically. 2 Related Work When MaaS was first coined by Hietanen [7], he referred to the ecosystem as a combination of transportation services, information, infrastructure, and pay- ment services. Kamargianni and Matyas [8] outlined a business ecosystem for MaaS which consists of the multiple organizations and actors of MaaS. Hensher et al. [6] developed one of the recent MaaS definitions, encapsulating the main el- ements of MaaS, which includes multimodality, user-centricity, sustainable goals, payment and ticketing integration and more. The definition by Hensher et al. [6] is the reference definition for this paper, however, it will not be quoted directly due to its length. Spencer [12] characterized progress as the shift from homo- The Linked MaaS Framework 3 geneity of structure to heterogeneity of structure in a system which increases the complexity of the structure. With the increase of complexity in ecology, the term ecosystem was defined as a network of interconnected organisms and in- organic resources which build their distinct domain of analysis [13]. Analogous to interconnected organisms, are interconnected firms in an economic ecosystem [1]. Presently, Mobility-as-a-Service is inherently a set of densely interconnected and heterogeneous firms and resources that constitute a multilayered ecosys- tem. This interconnection sparks the main interest behind this framework being built specifically under MaaS context. As transportation, in general, does not necessitate the integration and harmonization of these resources, whereas MaaS does. Meadows [9] stated that a system must consist of three kinds of things: el- ements, interconnections, and a function or purpose. We conducted a thorough exploration of the literature on MaaS which encapsulated an in-depth biblio- graphic analysis of the full record of 347 articles on MaaS, extracted through the query ALL=("Mobility as a Service") from Web of Science. The query3 was performed on July 20th, 2021. The result of a co-occurrence analysis showed that all tangible concepts fall under one of three categories: (1) Business, Policy, and Stakeholders, (2) Data and Technology, and (3) Infrastructure (Physical and Digital). We argue that there exists a lot of discrepancies over the semantics of MaaS elements which has lead to a cascade of incompatibilities at various layers of the system. Such incompatibilities gave rise to a major obstacle to MaaS which is the lack of agreement or keenness of different parties of interest to participate in the ecosystem [2]. Through the proposed framework, we aim to provide a guideline that aids in eliminating barriers to MaaS semantic interoperability on a conceptual, technological, and organizational level. A notable framework, by Sochor et al. [11], introduced 5 levels of MaaS, each representing the maturity of integration: (0) no integration, (1) integra- tion of information, (2) integration of booking and payment, (3) integration of the service offer, including contracts and responsibilities, and (4) integration of societal goals. The framework offers a clear description of each maturity level, yet, it does not cover how can the interoperability be assessed and enhanced in order to enable the next level of maturity for a specific MaaS setting. Smith and Hensher [10] broke down MaaS into its fundamental pillars, offering a clear description for each, in pursuit of developing a framework for MaaS policies. The Linked MaaS framework builds on top of these pillars while formalizing them in a machine-understandable format that can be used for advanced analytics. It further enables the identification of interoperability gaps which can be filled to upgrade the maturity of MaaS. In summary, the Linked MaaS framework offers a novel contribution through its formalization of MaaS concepts, which is envisioned to enable an extensible and future-proof MaaS analytics engine. 3 https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/summary/76568eb3-b10f-4da6-ae74- 7f851a6ac50b-01778e84/relevance/1 4 S. Ghazy et al. 3 The Linked MaaS Framework Fig. 1. Proposed structure of the Linked MaaS Framework To compose a solution that harmonizes the semantics of MaaS, we break down the MaaS ecosystem into its constituent sub-systems. Each sub-system is illustrated as a layer of categorized MaaS elements and their interconnections, with a distinct function for each layer. Together, these layers constitute the Linked MaaS framework as summarized in Figure 1. This framework is specific to MaaS, and not transport in general, in the sense that it focuses on enabling transport integration through MaaS. The framework consists of 3 Graph layers – comprised of both nodes and relationships: 1) The Stakeholder Layer, 2) The Data Layer, 3) The Infrastructure Layer, The Graph layers can be viewed as an independent domain of analysis. In addition, we define 3 Linking layers – comprised of relationships only: 4) The Ownership Layer - Linking between Stakeholders and Infrastructure 5) The Auth Layer - Linking between Stakeholders and Data 6) The Connection Layer - Linking between Data and Infrastructure The proposed Linked MaaS framework introduces 6 interlinked layers, that each can benefit from using Semantic Web Technologies (SWT) to model, anal- yse, and formulate solutions for issues within each layer. Throughout the fol- lowing subsections, we will discuss the functions of each layer and the reasoning The Linked MaaS Framework 5 behind its development. Furthermore, we will discuss the recommended Seman- tic Web technologies for different use-cases in each layer, in addition to, other supplementary technologies. 3.1 Layer 1: The Stakeholder Layer The first layer of the Linked MaaS framework is The Stakeholder Layer. As the name suggests, this layer consists of the stakeholders of MaaS as the el- ements of focus, whilst also modelling the interconnections between them. In MaaS workflows, it is often the case that a single decision can have direct or indirect effects on any MaaS stakeholder, whether taken collectively or individ- ually. In such a case, delineating the relationships and dependencies between these key players is needed. The main function of this layer is to build an ab- stract model of the business ecosystem of MaaS. Kamargianni and Matyas [8] provide a suitable starting point for identifying the stakeholders present in to- day’s landscape. For each stakeholder, an explicit definition will be given that delineates their characteristics and roles. An instance of any stakeholder class shall inherit its properties as well as possess a unique ID for their identification on the Web. In addition, an explicit representation of the relationships and de- pendencies between each stakeholder will be defined. Some of the independent use-cases envisioned for the stakeholder layer are listed below: – Standard and shared definitions of the different stakeholders can be used for applying policies and conditions for participating in the ecosystem (e.g. A transport operator must have a registration number with a specific author- ity). – Convenient retrieval of information on stakeholders and their connections will be enabled (e.g. querying the available MaaS providers in a specific region). – Analysis of the effects of different decisions and scenarios on the system, perhaps using the Decisions Ontology4 with the aid of a systems theory approach. These decisions can include the joining or exiting of a particular type of stakeholder into/from the ecosystem, the testing of different business models, etc. – Analyzing the graph to derive new information and conclusions (e.g. Ana- lyzing the centrality of the nodes to detect how important is a particular stakeholder in a defined region). While business agreements and contracts will heavily depend on and benefit from this layer, it was rather included in the synergistic use cases as such con- tracts will include agreements on data sharing and access, risk distribution, and various factors supplemented by the other layers in the framework. 4 https://www.w3.org/2005/Incubator/decision/XGR-decision-20120417/ Sample_Decision_Ontology.html 6 S. Ghazy et al. 3.2 Layer 2: The Data Layer A main area of concern within emerging transportation technologies is the repre- sentation of data, syntactically and semantically. The digitization of transporta- tion data led to the development of multiple standards such as GTFS static5 , GTFS realtime6 , GBFS7 , MDS8 , The TOMP-API 9 , NeTEx10 , SIRI11 , DATEX II12 , OSLO Mobility13 , and more. When a standard is developed, it is common to define it up to a certain level of granularity, leaving certain issues open [14]. The knowledge of how a system holistically functions is expected to be understood by the standardization community rather than reside within the standard itself. An escalation in interoperability issues, such as incompatibility of protocols, syntax, and other basic building blocks, occurs when the source of the different standards stems from different standards’ bodies, each with their own approach to doing things [14]. The data islands, formed through multi-organizational standardisa- tion, represents the current situation of data standards in the realm of mobility. This results in: 1) lack of an overview of the system by its implementer, specifi- cally for a MaaS provider that is expected to work with multiple standards, 2) Using standards beyond their original purposes due to the lack of inclusion of particular use cases or newer scenarios in the specification of a certain standard, and 3) Each standard defines its own rules and culture for its implementation, which may significantly vary from those of another standard. For users working with multiple standards, this might be a tricky situation that leads to mistakes and confusion in digesting different concepts [14]. Data, in the MaaS ecosystem, is heterogeneous and present in silos. It is not equipped with the metadata necessary to enable data interoperability. In addi- tion to multiple standards, there still exists a vast amount of data that does not even follow a standard [3], compounding the hindrances in the face of actualising MaaS. For the de-Silo-fication of data and its collective use in decision-making and routing applications, an explicit definition and formalization of the inherent MaaS data and their relationships is required. Therefore, the main function of this layer is to explicitly model MaaS data with its interconnections. Figure 2 illustrates 5 possible categories of data that fall under the Data Layer of Linked MaaS, noting that these categories are extensible. While some of these categories must be connected to some stakeholder as its responsible source, some of the data entities can be completely independent such as weather data, geographical data, and others. Some of the use-cases envisioned for the data layer are listed below: 5 https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs 6 https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs-realtime 7 https://github.com/NABSA/gbfs/blob/v2.2/gbfs.md 8 https://github.com/openmobilityfoundation/mobility-data-specification 9 https://github.com/TOMP-WG/TOMP-API 10 http://netex-cen.eu/ 11 https://www.vdv.de/siri.aspx 12 https://www.datex2.eu/ 13 https://data.vlaanderen.be/ns/mobiliteit The Linked MaaS Framework 7 Fig. 2. Illustration of 6 possible data categories under the Data Layer, including ex- amples – Automated integration of data from heterogeneous sources through the align- ment with existing standards. – Performing simple and complex queries and algorithms over MaaS data (e.g. querying for availability of bike lanes, running route-optimization algo- rithms). – Reasoning over the graph to derive new information and conclusions (e.g. Inferring which factors affect the operations of which modes, for example, an if rule can state that if an increase in a specific factor (e.g traffic) affects a property of a transport mode (e.g decreases the speed) then this factor should be taken into account by the routing algorithm ). 3.3 Layer 3: The Infrastructure Layer There is a distinction between servitizing transportation and servitizing other industries, of which some have witnessed successful models disrupting preced- ing distribution models. The implementation of MaaS relies on the existence of physical infrastructure. Physical transportation infrastructure is a prerequisite for actualizing MaaS. How can we shift people to more sustainable modes of transport if we are lacking the infrastructure for it? Promoting bikesharing, for example, requires bike lanes for a safer commute. Shifting to electric cars requires charging stations. Major investments in public transport is needed to set up rail- ways and subways. The significance of infrastructure to MaaS necessitated its inclusion as the third layer of the Linked MaaS framework. Considering the tech- nological advancements in transport, the core elements of the infrastructure layer include both physical and digital infrastructure. Digital infrastructure refers to the ticketing infrastructure, routing algorithms, MaaS aggregation platforms, cloud infrastructure, and others. The main function of this layer is to provide a digital twin of both physical and digital infrastructure as well as the relationships between them. As this layer connects to the stakeholder layer, it will represent 8 S. Ghazy et al. all the assets owned by the stakeholders. Independently, the layer can be used to investigate the following scenarios: – Through graph theory approaches, various analysis can be performed to determine System Resilience, identifying the weakest links and bottlenecks in the infrastructure. This can aid in deriving multimodal disaster mitigation and recovery plans. – Analysis of the system to identify missing infrastructure links at different locations, both physical and digital, which require installation. Through such analytics, investments can be directed to the right infrastructure sectors and locations. – Inter-dependencies between modes and the dynamics of a multi-modal sys- tem can be derived from the model for usage in smart city mapping and planning. After discussing Graph layers 1, 2, and 3, we now look at forming interlinks between these layers. The Linking layers represent relationships between ele- ments from different graph layers. These layers are discussed in the subsequent sections. 3.4 Layer 4: The Ownership Layer There are relationships between MaaS stakeholders and the Infrastructure layer. These relations can include which infrastructure belongs to a stakeholder’s assets, who is responsible for the maintenance or development of specific infrastructure, etc. These questions mainly depend on the ownership of assets. Therefore, the main function of this layer is to model the links between the stakeholders and the infrastructure. A few use-cases envisioned for this linking layer are: – Analysis of risk. Through the links between the stakeholders and their assets, an optimum risk distribution model can be determined for a given MaaS ecosystem. – Maintenance schedules and work orders can be linked taking into account the effects of surrounding infrastructure. – The layer can be used in synergy with other layers for the development of suitable contracts and agreements based on stakeholders’ assets and liabili- ties. 3.5 Layer 5: The Auth Layer A major debate within MaaS falls under the umbrella of data management. Some of the questions include: – Who will have the authority over MaaS users data? – Who is responsible for data maintenance and quality? – Who is authorized to access a specific type of data? – How do we authenticate the user/agent accessing the data? The Linked MaaS Framework 9 – Will MaaS Providers contribute to the monopolization of data or will there be a decentralised data access? To resolve this debate, we propose the Auth layer. The main function of this layer is to model the links between stakeholders and data. The incorporation of the Auth layer in Linked MaaS can aid in the following use-cases: – Explicit identification of read-write access rules to different data entities, perhaps through the Access Control List Ontology. – Explicit definitions of roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders for data management. – Examining the effects of different data access distributions on the stakehold- ers of the ecosystem (e.g. business opportunities through Open Data). – Incorporation of data pods following the Solid14 Project for decentralization of user data. – Enforcing data policies through validation rules. 3.6 Layer 6: The Connection Layer Although the Data layer and the Infrastructure layer appear to overlap, there is a clear distinction between them. The Infrastructure layer models the physical and digital assets of the ecosystem, whereas a part of the Data layer would consist of data derived from that infrastructure. For instance, the infrastructure layer would model railway tracks whereas data from sensors attached to these tracks are modelled in the data layer. Between these two layers, we propose a relationship layer, The Connection Layer, where the main function of the layer is to model the interconnections, policies, and business rules between data and infrastructure. Example use-cases envisioned for this layer are: – Can be used to power the development of Internet of Things in transporta- tion, providing insights on which parts of the infrastructure is connected over the internet, what types of connections do they have, for instance, having vehicle location data for a train but lacking sensor data for facility manage- ment. – Identifying physical entities from which data is generated can provide in- sights on connectivity gaps. For example, identifying stations and infrastruc- ture for which schedules are available can help identify which infrastructure is lacking connectivity to the routing algorithms. – Policies on the usage of data for certain infrastructure can be formalized within this layer. 4 Conclusions and Future Outlook In this paper, we presented the Linked MaaS framework and discussed 3 Graph Layers and 3 Linking layers, justifying their function in the ecosystem. In align- ment with the results of the literature, the layers contain all categories identified 14 https://solidproject.org/ 10 S. Ghazy et al. which were (1) Business, Policy, and Stakeholders, (2) Data and Technology, and (3) Infrastructure, noting that the inclusion of policy concepts is distributed throughout the layers rather than constituting a layer of its own. We envision the development of Linked MaaS to be a catalyst for actualising MaaS. As part of an ongoing research, we are focusing on works that will contribute to the Stakeholder layer, the Auth layer, and the Data layer. We invite researchers of MaaS and the Semantic Web community to bring the Linked MaaS vision to reality through novel contributions to the 6 layers. Under the previous subsections of Layers 1 to 6, we provided examples of use- cases that the individual layers are expected to handle as part of their function. From a holistic perspective of Linked MaaS, there is an opportunity for syn- ergistic use-cases which rely on the collective use of the layers. Some examples are: – Generation of data-driven contracts, based on the analysis of the stakehold- ers’ relationships with infrastructure, with data, and with each other. – A simulation engine can be derived to predict the effects of adding, removing, or changing any elements in the system (e.g. a merger between two compa- nies, construction of a new highway, incorporation of a new technology). – Data Governance, including policies, roles, standards, and metrics, can be formalized through the Stakeholder layer, the Auth layer, and the Data layer. Semantic Web technologies were chosen as the core tools powering the Linked MaaS framework for their extensive capabilities to link data from heterogeneous sources, develop abstract models that reflect the complexity of the world in the form of simpler ideas, and reason over encoded knowledge to infer new and meaningful information. The high-level concepts for all the layers, likely repre- sented as ontologies or vocabularies, can serve as a foundation upon which a Linked MaaS knowledge graph is constructed specific to given geographic re- gions where MaaS operates. This will set a roadmap for MaaS to achieve an Adaptive level of interoperability - highest level in the Enterprise Interoperabil- ity Model [5] - where firms are capable of adapting to new environments and accommodating new partners, making interoperability itself a subject of contin- uous improvement. 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