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Behind the scenes at the National Route Database: Smart technology for better routes

Smart technology behind
the National Route Database

The Netherlands is a true cycling and walking nation. To ensure that all route  planners, local authorities and policy measures point the way, there is the National  Route Database. This is the beating heart of the national cycling and walking  networks, managed by the Fietsplatform and Wandelnet foundations.


A digital puzzle 

Collecting data from all the different regions is a major undertaking. Every region in  the Netherlands uses a different system to manage its data. Changes are sometimes  submitted manually, making updating the Route Database a time-consuming task. 

Software developer Irias has previously developed a smart tool for this purpose in  collaboration with Wandelnet: the Netwerkmaker. This makes importing all that  different walking data a lot easier. Fietsplatform has now taken this further and,  together with Irias, expanded this Netwerkmaker for the national cycling networks.

Centrϕide’s role: Hunting for errors  

Although the Fietsplatform and Irias are the main driving forces behind this project, Centrϕide was able to lend a helping hand during the preliminary phase of implementation. We played an advisory and technical support role. 

What exactly did we do? 

  • Spotting errors 
    The Network Maker algorithm is very impressive and can handle a wide variety of  cycle networks. However, there are sometimes quite complex situations where it is  not easy for the software to create a coherent cycle network. We identified where  things went wrong in each region and then manually adjusted the Network Maker  accordingly.
  • Monthly check
    Every month, we delved into the results. If the data hadn’t been correctly adjusted by  the algorithm, we made a few more manual adjustments.
  • Remote support
    We were in close contact with the Fietsplatform and Irias to answer technical  questions and provide support.  
  • Working smarter
    We drafted a manual document on quality control. This ensures that the same errors  do not recur during the next import.  

Proud of the collaboration  

Our role may have been modest, but we are incredibly proud to have been able to support Fietsplatform and Irias. Thanks to their vision and our support, the national  cycle routes are now digitally up to scratch once again. 

DONE1666 - Han

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han@centroide.nl

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+31 85 105 30 88