DIGIWAY - Geodata for safety in the mountains

DIGIWAY in the professional community

Two exciting contributions about DIGIWAY have been published in the current Summer 2025 issue of the trade magazine „analyse:berg“:

• Interview: „Digitale Welt und Realität dürfen nicht widersprüchlich sein“ – with Klaus Pietersteiner & Lucia Felbauer (State of Tyrol – DIGIWAY Project)
• Technical Article: „Ein schwieriger Weg!“ – by Walter Würtl & Peter Plattner

Both articles provide a detailed insight into the DIGIWAY project and show how digital innovation and alpine safety come together – and what conditions are necessary for this.

The magazine analyse:berg Sommer 2025 can be ordered from the Österreichisches Kuratorium für alpine Sicherheit.

Together on the move for greater safety in the mountains

Here you can find more information about the field days with stakeholders: Press release from 18 August 2025.

Project Objectives

Digitalization in the mountains is a widely discussed topic. Since most of the data - often in different formats - are available at the regional level, the main objective of DIGIWAY is the cross-border harmonization and validation of geodata. This will enable mountaineers and hikers in the Euregio to access more reliable information, thereby increasing the safety of their experiences in nature.

The project pursues the following objectives:

1. Creation of a cloud-based web service for data exchange between different systems in Tyrol, South Tyrol, and Trentino;
2. Use of the Open Data Hub of the NOI Techpark to increase the visibility of publicly accessible administrative data and to enable access to other data that may be relevant for the development of applications for the outdoor community;
3. Establishment of a cross-border platform, called Euregio Living Lab, where the population, companies, researchers, and institutions work together to overcome obstacles and test sustainable digital solutions;
4. Conceptualization and testing of technological solutions to improve safety in the mountains and the mountain experience in the test areas or test routes of Val di Fassa and the long-distance hiking trail E5, and in possible follow-up projects in additional test areas. 

Current status and expected results

• Integration of geodata (hiking trails & routes):
  A unified geodataset based on the official geodata from Tyrol, South Tyrol, and Trentino will be created in the Euregio. At the end of the project, this cross-border dataset of hiking trails and routes in the Euregio will be made publicly available.
• Software development:
  The integration of the geodata is carried out using a dynamically automated, GIS-based software solution. Multilingual preparation and continuous updating are central requirements. The solution is currently being developed by the GIS company MovingLayers and is expected to be available by the end of the project.
• GIS modeling – “exposure map”:
  The exposure map shows what consequences along a hiking or mountain trail are to be expected if a fall from the path should occur. The map was calculated using geoinformation (GIS) methods for the entire Euregio Tyrol – South Tyrol – Trentino. It shows exposure in four classes, whereby the transitions are to be understood as gradual. Potential immediate fall areas are additionally represented using a pink signature. The exposure map serves as support for tour planning and was evaluated in the field. More information about the exposure map and about the planned publication of the map can be found on the homepage of the exposure map.
• Integration and provision of the data via the Open Data Hub platform of the NOI:
  The static and dynamic data relevant to the project are integrated together with other relevant datasets via the digital interfaces (API) of the Open Data Hub and made available to third parties. The data can also be used directly via modern web-components, which are accessible through the Web Components Store, to enable easier and faster integration into existing websites.
• Case studies:
  Two case studies are currently running – one along the E5 long-distance hiking trail in the Euregio and one in Val di Fassa. The objectives include, among other things, the extended recording of trail characteristics, the digitization of new trails, the improvement of information dissemination in case of trail closures, as well as the collection of trail usage frequency.
• Comparison between classification systems:
  LO.LA Peak Solutions has developed an initial concept for comparing between different trail classification systems (e.g., SAT, Tyrolean system). Based on technical difficulty, consequences (exposure), and natural hazards, values are collected that enable comparison between different systems. This method can be transferred to other regions after DIGIWAY.
• Stakeholder involvement:
  We aim to actively involve as many stakeholders as possible, promote exchange, and ensure that the solutions developed are practical and widely applicable.

Stakeholder-Day 2024

On 5 December 2024, the kick-off event of the DIGIWAY project took place as part of another Stakeholder -Day. It built on the content collected during the Stakeholder-Day on 12 October 2022. The objectives of DIGIWAY were presented, and insights into the current developments and next steps were provided. The programm gives a more detailed view of the event. The press release of the event from 5 December 2024 can be accessed.

Contacts

WP1 - Project management and communication (Euregio contact person: Matthias Fink, Matthias.Fink@euregio.info)

WP2 - Datalake (contact person: Lucia Felbauer, lucia.felbauer@tirol.gv.at)

WP3 - Distribution (contact person: Roberto Cavaliere - R.Cavaliere@noi.bz.it)

WP4 - Euregio Living Lab (contact person: Sebastian Mayrgündter - S.Mayrguendter@noi.bz.it)

WP5 - Test before Invest (contact person: Klaus Pietersteiner - klaus.pietersteiner@tirol.gv.at; Emma Giacomelli Boldrini - Emma.GiacomelliBoldrini@provincia.tn.it )

Partners

• Euregio (Lead Partner)
• NOI AG (Project Partner)

Associated Partners:

• Department of Forest Protection, Office of the Tyrolean Provincial Government
• Department of Information Technology of the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol
• Dipartimento artigianato, commercio, promozione, sport e turismo della Provincia Autonoma di Trento
• EVTZ Euregio Connect

Note: funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Interreg VI-A Italy-Austria 2021–2027