Chair of Information Management

Mobilitäts-App für Neuzugewanderte (MAZ)

MAZ

Partner: County of Northeim; Office for Regional Development in Lower Saxony, Germany; European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) / Europäischer Landwirtschaftsfonds für die Entwicklung des ländlichen Raums (ELER)

Project duration: 10/2019 - 06/2022

Funding: LEADER, County of Northeim

Methods: Design Science, Application Development

Support for App: Bei Support-Fragen zur App melden Sie sich bitte bei Till Ole Diesterhöft (tillole.diesterhoeft@uni-goettingen.de)

Summary:
Newly immigrated people in Germany, like every other citizen, need access to mobility in order to be able to integrate themselves, to perceive administrative procedures and to participate in social life. The fact that many newcomers are accommodated decentrally in rural regions exacerbates the rural mobility problem with two main problem areas: insufficient information and limited and inflexible mobility services.

The MAZ project addresses these problems by developing a smartphone application that aims to improve the provision of information on mobility services by addressing different target groups.
The app is divided into three modules:


  • The basic module presents the public transport service in an understandable manner through translations and interactive videos (also understandable for illiterate people).
  • The participation module connects newly immigrated people with voluntary helpers and others. This can be used, for example, to coordinate rides, support visits at the public office or to establish multimodal mobility offers.
  • The coordination module enables public institutions such as public offices or educational institutions to access the mobility offers of the app to coordinate the mobility of newly immigrated people and, for example, to arrange the booking of trips to and from public authorities.


The application can be used by the district of Northeim after the end of the project. The structure offers the possibility to extend it to further user groups with no connection to individual transport, e.g. senior citizens or job seekers. The source code of the app will be open source after the end of the project, so that other municipalities can also use it. Thus, the app makes an important contribution to participation in society as a whole and equal opportunities.