Using smart cards for integrated telematics services : the DISTINCT approach in Thessaloniki.

The paper describes the approach followed by the city of Thessaloniki to integrate the Telematics services provided in the fields of Transport, Health care and information using a multi-service smart card. The findings and results are based on the work undertaken in the framework of the EU funded project DISTINCT (Deployment and integration of Smart Cards and Information Networks for Cross Sector Telematics) in the IADS (Integrated Applications for Digital Sites) Programme, 1998-2000. It is also based on the Telematics infrastructure developed in the framework of ADEPTI and II (Automatic Debiting and Electronic Payment for Transport) projects in the period 1992-1998. The paper presents the existing Telematics systems and the functional and physical system architecture of the integrated system. (A*)