Impact
From Minutes to Seconds
MobiMaestro’s startup time has been reduced from one and a half minutes to three seconds.
More accessible to users
No specific Windows environment or local Java installation is required anymore; a browser and an internet connection are all you need.
Ready for a bigger playing field
The updated architecture can handle significantly larger urban systems, thereby opening up new opportunities for international markets.
Innovate Without Downtime
The infrastructure underlying MobiMaestro was completely replaced. Service continued without interruption.
About
Every city is getting busier, but a street doesn’t get any bigger. Technolutions’ mission is to develop technology that helps governments keep traffic, mobility, and public spaces livable as usage grows. Erik van Dijk, Business Unit Director Mobility: “We develop robust solutions for today, but also the solutions our customers will need tomorrow.”
This has resulted in MobiMaestro, the platform that has been orchestrating Dutch traffic for fifteen years—from municipalities with just a handful of parking signs to metropolises with thousands of traffic lights. All major Dutch road authorities use it. The technology is also deployed internationally. What began as parking guidance has evolved into the management of cars, cyclists, pedestrians, and public transportation, moving toward what Technolution calls: digital control of public space.
That ambition requires technology that can scale with the business. That’s exactly where things started to get tricky.
“Sometimes that fresh perspective from the outside is a good thing. Rockstars are actively engaged with the technological developments happening in the world around us. They come up with ideas. That’s exactly what we need.”
DEMAND INCREASED, BUT THE ROOM FOR GROWTH DID NOT
The natural reflex when faced with an outdated interface: build a new shell. At MobiMaestro, that turned out not to be enough. Business logic was intertwined within the Java Swing screens and had to be disentangled first. Even which information a user was allowed to see was partly determined on the client side. Jeroen Nijhuis-Boere, Senior Angular Developer at Team Rockstars: “Before we could build a new user interface, we actually had to extract all the business logic and move it to the server.”
At the same time, the pressure was mounting. Outdated components needed to be replaced, new customers expected a modern interface, and road authorities had to continue working on the same platform with a variety of devices and protocols. A major customer added hundreds of requirements to the mix. A single product had to do more and more, while the technical leeway was shrinking.
MobiMaestro couldn’t close for maintenance. While Technolution was modernizing the system, customers still needed to be able to shop, and new features had to be developed. Erik: “That caused us quite a few headaches. But I’m proud that we actually managed to keep the store open.”
INNOVATION WITHOUT DOWNTIME
Technolution retained the existing MobiMaestro Server and built the upgrade around it step by step. A separate web client backend was added between this operational core and the new Angular interface.
A smart layer between the core and the user
This backend retrieves data centrally, applies caching and authorization checks, and filters information before it is sent to the web interface. As a result, not every web client needs to request its own live data stream directly from the MobiMaestro Server. This reduces the load on the server and frees up resources for existing tasks, including communication with devices on the street.
The web application is also modular. Each customer uses only the relevant functionality, integrations, and data sources. This allows a single product to serve a wide range of countries, customers, and users without burdening anyone with the full complexity of MobiMaestro.
The benefits become apparent in larger urban environments. Erik: “If we want to roll out our solution in a city like San Francisco, that places much higher demands on our application. MobiMaestro can now handle that scale.”
Seniority as a Catalyst
Team Rockstars has been strengthening Technolution for years with experienced developers and testers. Not just as an extra pair of hands, but with seniority that allows them to hit the ground running, critically evaluate technical decisions, and ensure software quality. Jeroen: “We’ve always been there as a knowledge base, actively contributed ideas during design sessions, and maintained a rigorous review process to ensure consistent code quality.”
Erik sums up the acceleration matter-of-factly: “I think we could have pulled it off even without Rockstars. But it would have taken us a lot longer.”
FASTER, MORE ACCESSIBLE, AND READY FOR A BIGGER PLAYING FIELD
Users can immediately notice the difference. Whereas MobiMaestro used to take a minute and a half to start up, Erik says it now takes about three seconds. And whereas it once required a specific Windows environment with Java, all you need now is a browser and an internet connection.
- Speed: Boot time reduced from one and a half minutes to three seconds.
- Accessibility: No more platform requirements—just a browser and an internet connection.
- Scalable: MobiMaestro can handle systems that are many times larger than before.
- Real-time visibility: Changes to devices, statuses, and displays are immediately visible in the web interface.
- Continuity: The migration, now 70 percent complete, proceeded without the road authorities who use the system on a daily basis even noticing it.
“That limitation is now gone. We can handle much larger systems,” says Erik. As a result, the modernization not only delivers a better user experience but also opens up new opportunities for the market.
Collaboration
Technolution has its own talented engineers. That’s precisely why it’s telling that the company has been choosing Team Rockstars for years. Erik appreciates the fresh perspective from outside: Rockstars actively follow technical developments and bring new ideas to the table. “We simply need that.”
The cultures are different. Technolution is relatively calm and structured, while Team Rockstars IT is more outspoken and exuberant. According to Erik, that’s exactly what works: “Those differences are okay, and I appreciate them. I actually find them challenging.” Jeroen experiences the same mutuality: trust in his contribution, coupled with appreciation for the stable partnership with Technolution.
Erik sums it up nicely: “I’m a big Rockstar fan. I know they’re basically always good. And that’s not something you can take for granted with other companies.” For a tech company that knows firsthand what good engineers are worth, that might be the most telling thing of all: that you keep choosing each other.
