The development of ForFITS was a three-year activity started in 2011 with the goal of enhancing international cooperation and planning towards sustainable transport policies, with a particular aim of facilitating climate change mitigation. The project was funded by the UN Development Agency (UNDA) and it involved all United Nations Regional Commissions (see the flyer).The model is meant to foster sustainable transport policies For Future Inland Transport Systems (and therefore named ForFITS), and is capable of assisting users in making informed decisions about measures available for the reduction of CO2 emissions in the transport sector. Users of the tool can compare the projections between a baseline scenario and scenarios where proposed transport policies are implemented and estimate the amount of emissions that can be "saved" by their implementation in the future. Results of these analyses can be used to support the implementation of future transport policies that are likely to be effective in reducing CO2 emissions.
ForFITS model
ForFITS is primarily focused on CO2 emissions from inland transport, including road, rail and inland waterways, and predicts future emissions based on current patterns. CO2 emissions from aviation and maritime transport are also covered by ForFITS, but in a simplified manner in comparison to the other transport modes.
The model is suitable for the analysis of transport systems having a regional, national and/or local dimension, with a primary focus on national systems.
ForFITS and its user manual are freely available through the links below.
- User manual
-
Relevant documentation, including details on the methodology behind the modelling approach; the model structure, giving information on each calculation step; the input data required, including explanations on how to use the input file; and instructions on how to perform model runs, illustrating how to visualize the results and extract them from the software application which hosts ForFITS are available in the English version of the user manual below.
For further instructions on the use of the ForFITS model and information on its characteristics, please contact UNECE directly (see the contact tab).
ForFITS - User manual
A - Coverage, methodology and data requirements
B - Vensim Packaged Model (VPM) file
Description of the views
01 - economic parameters
02 - demand (passenger, main drivers)
03 - demand (passenger, non-motorized transport)
04 - demand (passenger personal motor road)
05 - demand (passenger personal vessels)
06 - demand (passenger, public)
08 - demand (large-freight, gdp & structure)
09 - demand (large-freight, tkm)
10 - demand (light road freight vehicle shares)
11 - demand (freight)
12 - demand (freight, travel and load by mode)
13 - vehicles, new registrations (historical, input)
14 - vehicles, new registrations (historical)
15 - vehicles by age
16 - vehicles, powertrain shares (input)
17 - vehicle cost (input)
18 - vehicles, powertrain choice (logit)
19 - travel per vehicle (passenger)
20 - travel per vehicle (freight)
21 - travel per vehicle
22 - travel per vehicle by age
23 - cost of fuel
24 - cost of vehicles
25 - cost of crew
26 - cost of driving
27 - load (passenger)
28 - load (freight)
29 - activity, loads and stock aggregates
30 - activity, loads and stock by age
31 - energy consumption (historical, input)
32 - energy consumption (historical)
33 - energy consumption (new registrations, ratios) (region, input)
34 - energy consumption (new registrations) (region)
35 - energy consumption (new registrations) (area)
36 - energy consumption by age
37 - CO2 emissions
38 - costs
40 - outputs (activity)
41 - outputs (energy use)
42 - outputs (cost)
43 - outputs (well-to-tank CO2 emissions)
44 - outputs (tank-to-wheel CO2 emissions)
45 - outputs (well-to-wheel CO2 emissions)
46 - outputs (new registrations)
C - Excel interface
D - Using ForFITS
- Reports
-
The pilot report builds on the application of the model to seven pilot countries: Chile, Ethiopia, France, Hungary, Montenegro, Thailand and Tunisia. The development of each pilot in terms of data gathering, definition of scenarios, model runs and analysis of the results is described in the report. The last chapter contains a set of suggestions for the definition of transport policies having implications for climate change mitigation, leveraging on the results of the pilot runs and a comparative assessment between them.
After the completion of the first phase of the project at the end of 2013, an international consultant was engaged to evaluate its post-implementation performance. The evaluation was conducted on the basis of a desk review of all the relevant documents and more specifically an in-depth review of the development of the ForFITS model under the project. The evaluation report summarizes the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the evaluation.
- ForFITS and Environmental Performance Reviews
-
List of Environmental Performance Reviews
Albania (2017)
Belarus (2015)
Georgia (2016)
Tajikistan (2016)
Uzbekistan (2019)
Azerbaijan (2021, unpublished)
Armenia (2022, unpublished)
- Capacity building workshops
-
Africa
Awareness raising workshop
31 October 2013 - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Technical workshop (Ethiopia pilot case)
1-2 November 2013 - Addis Ababa, EthiopiaAsia-Pacific
Awareness raising workshop
26-27 September 2013 - Bangkok, Thailand
Technical workshop (Thailand pilot case)
23-24 September 2013 - Bangkok, ThailandEurope
Awareness raising workshop
13 September 2013 - Geneva, Switzerland
Technical workshops (France & Montenegro pilot cases)
8-10 October 2013 - Geneva, Switzerland
19-20 November 2013 - Pogdorica, Montenegro
Pilot case of HungaryLatin America and the Caribbeans
Awareness raising and technical workshops (Chile pilot case)
5-28 August 2013 - Santiago, ChileWest Asia
Awareness raising workshop
2-3 December 2013 - Hammamet, Tunisia
Technical workshop (Tunisia pilot case)
3-4 December 2013 - Hammamet, Tunisia - Background
-
2008 - The UNECE Transport Division called on the UN Development Account (UNDA) for funds to build this project together with all UN Regional Commissions
2009 - The UN General Assembly endorsed the project
2010 - The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) approved a Project Document describing in detail the major phases and activities of this three-year project
2011 - Official project launched during a video conference involving all UN Regional Commissions
2011 - Preparation of a global review on existing statistical data, policy measures and assessment tools concerning CO2 emissions in transport
2011 - Development and distribution of a questionnaire (available in Arabic, English, French, German, Russian and Spanish) to provide inputs for the preparation of the review
2012 - International Expert Meeting (IEM) to disseminate information on the project, to share experiences and to explore possible synergies with other stakeholders
2012 - Workshop with selected experts to gather comments on the review on statistics, mitigation polices, and modelling tools (released in a draft version in April 2012 and finalized in October 2012) and to receive feedback on a draft methodology of the ForFITS tool (released in April 2012)
2012 - Model development and release of the first model prototype
2013 - Finalization of the model development
2013 - Preparation of user manual and training materials
2013 - Capacity-building workshops and training activities for policymakers and technical experts in all the regions associated with the UN Regional Commissions
The tasks and responsibilities of the lead entity and the other Regional Commissions have been finalized and included in specific Terms of References
- Contact & links
-
UNECE links
Climate Change and Transport, International Expert Meeting (24 April 2012)Other links
IPCC, UNFCCC - Kyoto Protocol, NDC repository