These professionals focus their activity on the development of applications for mobile devices based on large amounts of data (big data and artificial intelligence systems that have their origin in urban management), develop and adapt digital gadgets to the new generations of mobile phone technologies that are appearing (e.g., 5G) and research and search for new sources of energy for vehicles (hydrogen, electricity gas) with the aim of reducing pollution. It is also working on any solution linked to Mobility 4.0, which addresses low-emission zones, urban tolls and the Eurovignette, mobility as a service (Maas), last-mile goods distribution (logistics micro-platforms), the future of connected and autonomous vehicles for the automotive industry, electromobility and the emergence of personal mobility vehicles (PMVs), etc.

Mobility and its management will be one of the areas of economic activity that is expected to boost highly qualified professional profiles in the coming years. Thus, these professionals are technological experts with a research profile who apply new technologies - especially digitalisation - to mobility management, mainly in urban areas and within the framework of the development of smart cities. These professionals work mainly in private companies that develop their own technological solutions through gadgets and devices that provide efficiency and comfort to users in their mobility needs, as well as solutions to the needs of control, efficient management, organisation and planning of the great challenges and mobility flows in urban, metropolitan and interurban areas. In this sense, they can also work as providers of technological solutions for different public administrations or in goods distribution companies, etc.

• Design and test gadgets and digital devices to manage and monitor different aspects linked to urban mobility (technological innovation and digital economy, the paradigm shift of Smart mobility, detection, identification and tracking technologies, positioning and geolocation systems, image analysis and artificial vision, communication infrastructures: functional requirements of intelligent transport systems, sensors and Internet of Things or vehicle networks, etc.).
• Promote search and transfer of results in actions to improve road safety and traffic regulation through cameras, the traffic light system and radars that are coordinated from mobility control centres, making it possible to create an intelligent mobility management network to manage the information received from different monitoring and tracking points.
• Advance technological solutions that enable the consolidation of electric, autonomous and connected vehicles in the market, and overcome the existing challenges in terms of safety. They also study the different ADAS (Advanced Driving Assistance System) systems and their possible incorporation into all kinds of vehicles to improve road safety and the coexistence of the different vehicles on the network.
• Design and test new methods of goods distribution, especially in urban areas that are already congested (home delivery with drones, circuits of autonomous vehicles controlled from large operational centres for the transport of people and goods, for example).
• Advise the public legislator (both at national and local level) in producing mobility-related laws, rules and regulations. Likewise, to propose intermodal solutions (combining different transport systems) in mobility challenges for the corresponding public authorities (e.g., in low emission zones, in the extension of cycle lanes, in speed limitation, etc.).
• Incorporate new digital technologies into public transport to improve routes, frequencies and reach, as well as road safety (e.g., incorporation of visualisation cameras to eliminate blind sports, etc.).
• Research and development in mobility solutions involving companies, knowledge centres and public administrations to design transport systems for people and goods based on globally coordinated fleets of autonomous vehicles, the operational functioning of autonomous vehicles or to offer mobility solutions that make life easier for drivers.
• Advise on the implementation of Integrated Mobility Plans and Road Safety Plans at regional or local level.
  

Regulated training and graduates

• Grau: Enginyeria de sistemes i serveis de telecomunicacions
• Grau: Enginyeria informàtica
• Grau: Física

Complementary training

It is recommended to undertake specific training that includes knowledge in mobility, road safety, accident reconstruction, urban planning and design in public spaces.

Periodically, from different public administrations or organisations and associations, specific courses and seminars are carried out that can help to develop knowledge on Standardisation of ITS to Public Transport, Multimodal Travel Planning, Mobility as a Service, Autonomous and Connected Driving, Smart Tunnels, Traffic Control, IT & Smart Cities, Smart and Connected Infrastructure, etc.

Other specific skills

Extensive knowledge of traffic regulations and traffic ordinances at both local and regional level, as well as technical knowledge of the different elements of vertical signalling, horizontal signalling, beacons and traffic lights that can be found on public roads.
Technical English is essential.

Learning and use of knowledge: Level 3

Self-confidence: Level 3

Strategic orientation: Level 3

Analytical thought: Level 3

Planning and organisation: Level 3

New technologies

People who show an interest in this field are motivated by the development and advanced use of new technologies in any of their applications (software, hardware, telecommunications) from an innovative perspective and in accordance with the continuous updates of technologies, programmes and equipment that appear on the market. The design, installation, management and maintenance of computer systems and new technologies are activities specific to this field.

Scientific research

Individuals who have an affinity for the field of scientific research focus their interest on activities that study different types of organisms and substances in order to obtain valuable products for human beings. A key part of performing this task is the planning and verification of scientific hypotheses through the use of different research designs and techniques. The objective of these searches is the development of new medicines and medical techniques, technological innovation based on the manipulation of cells, molecules and biological agents, as well as the study of cultures in order to improve the characteristics and properties of plants and food.

Technician

People who show an interest in the technical field find fulfilment in carrying out activities related to the design and manufacture of objects, machines, vehicles and/or infrastructures. These activities require the application of scientific and technical knowledge (laws of physics, calculations and mathematical formulas, properties of the materials, etc). Creativity is also necessary when coming up with optimal solutions for the functional requirements of the products to be designed. Therefore, the pragmatic application of scientific knowledge in order to develop solutions for the benefit of human beings is the main function of occupations in the technical field.

Space instrumentation system engineer

Private network technician

Expert in computer simulation testing

Avionics development engineer

Security systems engineer

• Work hours

  Full time. Usually 40 hours per week.
  
  

• Salary

  From 35,000 to 50,000 euros gross per year, depending on qualifications and experience.
  

• Other features

  Mobility in urban areas and outside urban areas is a phenomenon that characterises today's societies and is linked to cultural, consumption and production patterns. Increasingly, people need to move around for work, study, leisure or simply to meet with family members. Moreover, mobility (understood here as the ability of a citizen to access effective and efficient means of transport to access goods and resources necessary for personal development) has come to be considered as a right, which implies that both the public and private sectors are creating professional profiles to manage it.
  
  Mobility in turn creates several challenges. Firstly, the energy consumption needed to propel the vehicles that make it possible to move from one place to another. Secondly, the management of these flows and their intermodality, which creates congestion, accidents and other dysfunctions that affect the quality of life of citizens, most seriously in densely populated metropolitan areas. Thirdly, mobility can be a factor that generates social exclusion, given that certain sectors of the population can see their opportunities and equality of access to essential goods and services diminished due to their place of residence or the lack of resources to cover the costs of mobility.
  
  

• Professional category

  Technician