SCENE · Project

Mobile IoT Gateway That Turns City Buses Into Smart Infrastructure Coverage

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Imagine turning every city bus into a mobile Wi-Fi and sensor tower. Instead of installing expensive fixed infrastructure across a city, SCENE mounted intelligent gateways on public transport vehicles that collect data from IoT sensors, deliver content securely, and provide cybersecurity — all while the bus drives its regular route. They tested this in real bus networks in Catania, Rennes, and Portugal, proving that mid-size cities can get full smart-city coverage without breaking the bank.

By the numbers

European cities with field trials (Catania, Rennes, Portugal)

consortium partners across 3 countries

80%

industry partners in the consortium

integrated system modules (security, gateway, service platform, dashboard)

core design pillars including security, scalability, and interoperability

gateway development iterations from prototype to final version

total project deliverables completed

The business problem

What needed solving

Mid-size cities want smart-city capabilities — environmental monitoring, connected services, secure data delivery — but cannot afford to blanket their territory with fixed IoT infrastructure. Traditional approaches require installing hardware at hundreds of fixed points, with high upfront cost, ongoing maintenance, and slow rollout. Cities need a way to get wide coverage quickly and affordably using infrastructure they already have.

The solution

What was built

An Intelligent Gateway device that went through 3 iterations: initial prototype (optimised CPU, Wi-Fi, 6LowPAN interfaces), first software version (IoT collection, caching, edge cloud, security), and final version with full functionalities including all IoT interfaces, external service integration, and cybersecurity. The system includes 4 modules: security (CEA), smart gateway (JCPC), service platform with data analytics (ALMAVIVA), and a management dashboard. Tested on real bus networks in 3 cities.

Audience

Who needs this

Municipal transport authorities in mid-size European citiesSmart city solution integrators and consultantsIoT connectivity providers needing mobile edge infrastructureUrban air quality and environmental monitoring companiesPublic transit operators looking to monetize vehicle routes with data services

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Municipal Public Transport

enterprise

Target: Mid-size city transport authorities and municipal governments

If you are a city transport authority looking to deploy smart city services without massive fixed-infrastructure investment — this project developed an intelligent gateway that mounts on public transit vehicles. It collects IoT sensor data, delivers multimedia content, and provides cybersecurity across 6 core capabilities. Field trials ran on bus networks in 3 cities across Italy, France, and Portugal.

IoT Platform Providers

mid-size

Target: Companies building IoT connectivity and edge computing solutions

If you are an IoT platform company struggling with last-mile coverage in urban environments — SCENE built a mobile edge-cloud gateway with 4 integrated modules covering security, data aggregation, service interoperability, and visualization. The gateway went through 3 development iterations from prototype to final version with full IoT interfaces, caching, and edge cloud capabilities.

Urban Environmental Monitoring

SME

Target: Air quality monitoring and environmental services companies

If you are an environmental monitoring company needing city-wide sensor coverage without fixed station costs — SCENE's mobile platform supports multiple IoT wireless access networks including Bluetooth and 6LowPAN for smart sensors. The system was designed for air pollution monitoring among other applications, tested across 3 European cities with real bus routes providing continuous geographic coverage.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to deploy this system in our city?

The project data does not include specific deployment costs or per-unit pricing. The core value proposition is reducing infrastructure investment by using existing public transport routes instead of fixed installations. Contact the coordinator through SciTransfer for commercial pricing discussions.

Can this scale beyond a single bus route to a full city network?

Scalability is one of the 6 core design pillars. The system was field-tested in 3 different European cities (Catania, Rennes, Portugal) with different bus networks. The architecture supports elasticity — meaning it can grow with demand without redesigning the system.

What is the IP situation — can we license this technology?

The consortium is led by Visionware (Portugal, SME) with 4 industry partners out of 5 total. As an Innovation Action project, the IP typically stays with the consortium partners. Based on available project data, licensing or partnership discussions would go through Visionware as coordinator.

How mature is the gateway hardware — is it production-ready?

The deliverables show 3 clear iterations: an initial prototype with optimised CPU and wireless interfaces, a first software version with IoT collection and edge cloud, and a final version with full functionalities including all IoT interfaces, caching, edge cloud, and security. This progression suggests a technology ready for pilot deployment.

Does it work with our existing city IT systems?

Interoperability with external services is one of the 6 design pillars. The service platform module provides IoT-oriented architecture for integration and data analytics. The system supports multiple wireless access networks and was designed to work in both IoT mode and standalone content delivery mode.

What about cybersecurity — is the data protected?

Security is handled by a dedicated module developed by CEA (French national research organization). The system covers both data security and communication security. Infrastructure cybersecurity was a core design requirement, not an afterthought, built into the gateway from the prototype stage.

Is there regulatory compliance for deploying on public transport?

Based on available project data, the system was tested on actual public bus networks in 3 European cities, which implies it passed local regulatory requirements for deployment on public vehicles. Specific certifications or compliance details are not mentioned in the project documentation reviewed.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a compact, industry-heavy consortium: 5 partners across 3 countries (France, Italy, Portugal) with 4 out of 5 being industry players and 2 SMEs — giving it an 80% industry ratio. That's unusually high and signals this was built to commercialize, not just publish papers. The coordinator Visionware is a Portuguese SME handling system integration. CEA (France) brings the security module, ALMAVIVA (Italy) handles the service platform, and JCPC provides the smart gateway. With only 1 research organization, the consortium is clearly oriented toward a market-ready product rather than academic exploration.

VISIONWARE-SISTEMAS DE INFORMACAO SACoordinator · PT
COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVESparticipant · FR
ALMAVIVA THE ITALIAN INNOVATION COMPANY SPAparticipant · IT
SODIRA CONNECTparticipant · FR

How to reach the team

Visionware (Portugal) — coordinator contact available through SciTransfer matchmaking service

Order a report on this consortium See VISIONWARE-SISTEMAS DE INFORMACAO SA profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the SCENE team to discuss licensing or deployment in your city? SciTransfer connects businesses with EU research teams. Contact us for a matchmaking consultation.

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