Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have questions about the ITS test field Merzig?
Overview of the test field
Since when has the test field existed?
The ITS Test Field Merzig, ITeM for short, was founded in 2014.
ITS stands for "Intelligent Transportation Systems".
What is the test field used for?
The ITS test field in Merzig offers an open research and development platform for automated and connected driving in real road traffic. It helps to ensure that technological solutions for the digitalization of mobility can be tested effectively.
The project pursues the approach of making ITS service tests available to small and medium-sized companies outside of large-scale projects. In close cooperation with htw saar, the aim is to enable industry to create know-how flexibly and independently, which simultaneously creates a technological and structural advantage for the region.
What happens in the test field?
The test field in Merzig is the starting point and an important part of the transnational Digital Test Field Germany-France-Luxembourg, or Digital Test Field D-F-L for short, which was officially opened in April 2019.
Various topics relating to the interaction between cars and people are researched there.
To achieve this, intersections were equipped with road side units (RSU) and cameras. The RSUs - technical transmitter and receiver units - enable communication between vehicles and infrastructure, while the cameras record traffic volumes and recognize test vehicles and pedestrians.
Thanks to this communication, it is possible to make predictions and thus optimize traffic and make it safer. This sets the course for the automated driving of tomorrow.
What area does the test field cover?
The test area includes city streets, parking lots and highway junctions in Merzig.
You will find a detailed overview of the locations of our infrastructure here.
Which institutions and companies are involved in the ITS test field?
The test field was set up on the initiative of Prof. Horst Wieker's traffic telematics research group at htw saar. This will further expand applied research in the field of ITS and share the knowledge gained in various standardization committees and other project consortia.
The District town of Merzig supports the project and is interested in exploiting the potential of ITS. The town is also providing the researchers with a project office and is helping to organize the open test field days.
Der State road construction company, welcher zuständig für die Verwaltung der Ampelanlagen ist, ermöglicht die Ausstattung verschiedener Kreuzungen mit Kommunikationssystemen.
The Ministry of the Environment, Climate, Mobility, Agriculture and Consumer Protection as the highest authority for transportation in Saarland offers its support so that the test field can participate in various other projects and initiatives.
Industrial partners, including automotive suppliers, provide support in equipping the transport infrastructure and networked vehicles Bosch and Continental, telecommunications providers Huawei,, Vodafone and T-Systems and operators of traffic signal systems such as SWARCO Traffic System GmbH..
For interested citizens
As a citizen, how can I find out more about the test field?
An "Open Test Field Day" is held at regular intervals, where interested citizens and potential partners can find out about the development of the technologies and their implementation at first hand in presentations and live demonstrations.
Can I ride in an automated vehicle in the test area?
As a citizen, can I experience the functions of the test field?
Pedestrians are currently participating passively in the test field.
Their presence is detected with the help of the infrastructure, e.g. via sensors or by information about the activation of pedestrian buttons at a crossing. This allows the infrastructure to send information and warnings to networked vehicles in the vicinity, which can adapt their driving behavior accordingly.
Citizens with connected vehicles, such as VW from the Golf 8 series onwards, are technologically able to benefit from the functions, but the connected driving functions of the test field are so far only available to explicit test vehicles.
To what extent is the test field making itself felt in the daily lives of citizens?
The operation of the test field is not noticeable for citizens in everyday life. The test drives take place in normal road traffic and are subject to the German Road Traffic Act (StVO). The everyday lives of citizens are therefore not affected. There are no additional costs for citizens or the city of Merzig.
For industry and research
How can I, as a company or research institution, use the test field and try out my systems?
ITeM is characterized by its special location.
The medium-sized town of Merzig in the rural area between the Saarland and Luxembourg capitals has a rural character and functions as a significant transportation hub due to the volume of traffic at the highway junction. It offers a unique configuration and accessibility from a research perspective.
Its use is particularly interesting for scientific institutions as well as for participants from industry and research in the fields of
- Sensor development
- Automated and connected driving functions
- Technology modules for vehicles and transport infrastructure
Interested parties are welcome to contact us using the contact form.
Are seminars or workshops offered?
No, there are no regular seminars or workshops on offer. However, an "Open Test Field Day" is held regularly, where interested parties and potential partners can find out about the development of the technologies and their implementation at first hand in presentations and live demonstrations.
In addition, the SaarMobility Congress on mobility-related topics has been taking place since 2023. The format offers numerous opportunities for networking.
Security and data protection
Can the pedestrian or traffic cameras recognize and identify people? How are the data protection requirements met?
The pedestrian cameras detect the movements of pedestrians and provide the position, direction and speed of the pedestrians to an application computer at the intersection. The traffic cameras detect and count vehicles and transmit information about detected objects or report when the detected test vehicles cross the intersections. In both cases, camera images are neither transmitted nor stored. This means that no individual persons can be identified by these video cameras and you remain anonymous.
Wie sicher und zuverlässig arbeitet dieses System in Fahrzeugen bei einer Funkstörung oder Unwetter, Gewitter, usw.?
The reliability of the system is intensively tried and tested before rollout. As with all other systems in the vehicle, there is always a fallback level, in this case local sensors, so that dangerous situations do not occur. In the worst-case scenario, you only lose the added value of the technology, but the vehicle continues to function as usual.
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Implementation of the technologies
When should the first real trials of innovative driving be incorporated into everyday road traffic?
This is already happening in many places. The many digital test fields in Germany have precisely the purpose of testing this technology in everyday traffic. The systems will gradually find their way into the everyday lives of drivers. In addition to the countless assistance systems in current vehicles, communication has already found its way into some series models. For example, there is a traffic light phase assistant, which is based on communication and therefore currently only works at appropriately equipped traffic lights, or an electronic brake light between these vehicles.
How realistic is it that such systems will be used in the foreseeable future?
Extremely realistic. Some vehicle manufacturers have already integrated such technology into current series models. There are still some questions regarding the radio technology ultimately chosen, but networked mobility is a prerequisite for the safe operation of automated vehicles. Infrastructure manufacturers, who supply the traffic light systems for example, also have corresponding equipment in their portfolios.