by Lorenzo Verardo and Lorenzo Ferri

Urban mobility is one of the most complex challenges modern cities face. What if we could simulate an entire city in real time, testing new policies or infrastructure changes before applying them in the real world?
We’ll present a Lugano-based innovation project that builds a full traffic simulation platform on open data and open technologies. Starting from simple webapp built on OpenStreetMap (OSM), we evolved toward a interactive simulation environment powered by the SUMO (Simulation of Urban Mobility) engine and visualized in Godot Engine.
Through a combination of C# logic and Libsumo bindings, our system allows cities to explore “what-if” scenarios — understanding, visualizing, and optimizing mobility.
Attendees will get a look under the hood at the platform’s architecture, its real-world applications, and how it empowers both engineers and policymakers. From integration challenges to design principles, we’ll share how open-source simulation and intuitive UX can transform city planning.

Key takeaways
- How to combine open data (OSM) and open-source tools (SUMO, Godot) for urban simulation.
- How simulation helps city planners make data-driven decisions before deploying changes.
- Why accessibility and intuitive UI are key to driving adoption in civic technology.

Target
- Software engineers and simulation developers
- Smart city and mobility innovators
- Public administration tech teams
- Anyone interested in the intersection of open data, simulation, and real-world impact

Devoxx

A development journey building a city traffic simulator called 'One Way' using OpenStreetMap data, SUMO (Simulation of Urban MObility), and the Godot game engine. The team iterated from a React web app with flow-based heatmaps to a full agent-based simulation where each vehicle behaves independently. They integrated SUMO's core engine via libsumo C# bindings into Godot to handle complex intersection rules, roundabouts, and traffic lights, while building a cleaner UI on top. The tool lets urban planners test scenarios like closing roads or changing lane directions and measure the cost impact on traffic flow. Future plans include real-time traffic data ingestion and AI chatbot integration for optimization suggestions.

Driving Smarter Mobility: From OpenStreetMap to Real-Time Traffic Simulation with SUMO & Godot