Driven by the concept of GreenIT, Cobra Systems works together with Lelystad Airport Businesspark (LAB) to make the business park as sustainable as possible, contributing to national government targets. In addition to sustainability, the park is becoming a safe place where visitors feel at home.
The Challenge
How do you measure, predict, and influence traffic patterns to optimise sustainability, accessibility, and quality of life across an industrial park? LAB faced exactly this problem: increasing traffic congestion, environmental impact, and limited insight into visitor movement and behaviour. Most solutions offered dashboards with data, but few translated that data into actual behaviour change.
Our Approach: Measure, Predict, Influence
Rather than simply collecting data, we implemented a three-stage methodology designed to drive real-world outcomes:
Measure
We deployed a network of sensors and data collection points across the LAB complex to capture real-time information on traffic patterns, air quality, and environmental conditions. This includes vehicle counts, bike usage, CO₂ levels, temperature, and humidity. The system also integrates WiFi analytics and location data (with full consent) to understand visitor flows and occupancy patterns across the park.
Predict
Raw data becomes actionable insight through predictive analytics. The platform anticipates traffic delays, congestion hotspots, and optimal travel times in near real-time. This allows us to inform visitors before they encounter problems—not after. Predictions feed directly into user-facing channels, enabling smarter decisions.
Influence
Insights drive behaviour change through gamification and digital channels. Visitors receive push notifications about traffic delays with immediate alternatives. The system recommends the most sustainable route: bike when possible, then train, then electric vehicle, then car. Over time, repeated exposure to these recommendations—backed by real data on their carbon impact—shifts travel choices.
Measuring What Matters
The platform collects data from multiple sources, all feeding into a single, unified intelligence system:
- Traffic and mobility: Road traffic (cars and bikes), EV charging station availability and usage
- Air quality: CO₂, NOx, temperature, and humidity readings
- Visitor analytics: WiFi and location data (opt-in), online analytics, and behavioural signals
- Connected systems: Any data source with an API can be integrated
- Future expansions: Heavy transportation tracking, traffic light optimisation, speed bump data, and camera systems
All data is collected transparently, with explicit user consent and meaningful incentives for participation. Visitors benefit from better routing, time savings, and the satisfaction of reducing their personal carbon footprint.
The Customer Journey: From Awareness to Advocacy
Every visitor moves through a four-stage journey:
- Orientation: Visitors arrive at LAB with multiple transport options available. The platform presents all choices clearly.
- Decision: A push notification alerts them to traffic delays. They open the app and confirm an alternative route—perhaps switching to an electric car or bike instead.
- Event: They experience the journey, arriving earlier and with lower emissions than they would have otherwise.
- After Event: They receive a summary of their CO₂ savings and time saved. They're more likely to make the sustainable choice again.
This loop creates virtuous cycles: better decisions lead to measurable benefits, which reinforce behaviour change and encourage wider adoption.
Real-World Impact: The Greeny Story
Consider a typical day for a LAB employee: Morning traffic is heavy on the A6 highway. A push notification alerts them to a 15-minute delay. Using the platform's guidance, they choose to cycle to a local train station, then take an electric car for the final leg. Result: they arrive 15 minutes earlier than if they'd driven, and their journey produces zero direct emissions.
By afternoon, they receive another alert about return-trip congestion. They choose the same route again. Over time, this becomes habit. The data shows it works: visitors consistently choose lower-emission options when given real-time, accurate information and a simple path to action.
Technology Built for Green
The software itself is designed for sustainability. In 2017, we introduced Clean Codes—a tool and methodology for energy-efficient software development. By following these practices, the LAB platform uses up to 45% less energy than comparable solutions, reducing the carbon footprint of the platform itself.
What We Did
Cobra Systems first developed a comprehensive plan to measure traffic intensity, noise, CO₂, temperature, and humidity across the LAB site. User data is mapped through multiple channels: hotspots, WiFi analytics, Google Analytics, and social analytics. Importantly, we always ask for explicit consent and provide meaningful incentives—users benefit directly from the data, in the form of time saved, money saved, and measurable environmental impact.
Pioneer Role
Since the project launched in 2016, the principle of measuring, predicting, and influencing the digital customer journey has been adopted at an increasing number of locations across Europe and beyond. Given its innovative character, the project has been supported by a subsidy from the Province of Flevoland since 2018. LAB is now a recognised innovation leader and testing ground for sustainable mobility solutions.
Results and Recognition
Real-time insight into CO₂ savings—LAB as innovation leader—foundation for sustainable mobility. The platform demonstrates that behaviour change at scale is possible when three conditions are met: accurate data, actionable insights, and immediate feedback loops. The project has earned recognition from partners including Greenit Amsterdam Region, SWECO, and numerous mobility innovators across the Netherlands and Europe.
Most importantly, the data proves it works. Visitors who use the platform choose sustainable transport options consistently. CO₂ emissions per visitor decline measurably. Travel times improve. The business park becomes not just a place to work, but a living laboratory for the sustainable city of tomorrow.