The FESTA Methodology
The FESTA methodology for (Field Operational Tests (FOTs) was developed in 2008 in the European FESTA project and described in the FESTA Handbook. The handbook was updated several times, and the latest update was made in 2021.
Field Operational Tests (FOT) are defined as: ”A study undertaken to evaluate a function, or functions, under normal operating conditions in road traffic environments typically encountered by the participants using study design so as to identify real-world effects and benefits”.
Although CCAM projects will now use the Common Evaluation Methodology (EU-CEM), the handbook still contains a wealth of practical recommendations to prepare, perform and evaluate FOTs.
The FESTA handbook has been updated several times since 2008, by the projects FOT-Net, FOT-Net2, FOT-Net Data, CARTRE and ARCADE. The last version is version 8. The Handbook will no longer be maintained.
On this page the FESTA handbook can be found as well as Micro-FESTA, a condensed evaluation methodology to support small pilot projects. A series of recorded webinars explains the FESTA methodology for beginners.
Download the FESTA Handbook Version 8
In August 2021, ARCADE published Micro-FESTA, a condensed evaluation methodology to support small pilot projects of Connected, Cooperative, and Automated Mobility (CCAM). This document gives an overview of the main steps in the FESTA methodology and comments their role in small-scale testing. This document can also be used as a first introduction to the full FESTA methodology and available materials.
Download the Micro-FESTA for CCAM pilot projects
FOT-Net has organised webinars and workshops disseminating the FESTA methodology. Recorded webinars explain the main steps:
- Introduction to FESTA Methodology
- Context, functions, use cases, research questions and hypotheses
- Performance indicators, study design, measures and sensors
- Legal and ethical issues
- Databases, data analysis and hypothesis testing
- Impact assessment and socioeconomic cost–benefit analysis
- Data sharing