# CARMACAL: A CO₂ Calculator for Sustainable Travel Decisions Travel connects people, but it also leaves an environmental footprint. For the travel industry, Dawn Technology developed CARMACAL: an innovative tool that calculates the CO₂ impact of holiday travel. It enables tour operators to gain valuable insights into the sustainability of their offerings and make more informed decisions. **Discovery**## Making Sustainability Measurable The tourism industry was looking for a way to make sustainability tangible and measurable. CARMACAL was developed as part of the CARMATOP project (CARbon MAnagement for Tour OPerators), a collaboration between ANVR, NHVT, Climate Neutral Group, Zeeland University of Applied Sciences and Dawn Technology. The challenge was significant: combining millions of data points, ranging from flights and accommodations to excursions and activities, into a single reliable calculation model. The initial wiki-based version provided structure, but proved too technical for everyday use. The industry needed a user-friendly, web-based application with reliable data integration and an intuitive interface. **Design & development**## Turning Complex Data into Actionable Insights We developed an accessible web application that communicated with the existing wiki through an API. As the platform matured, the data was migrated to modern database technologies to improve performance, scalability and reliability. The platform includes: - Global flight data and 25 transportation categories - More than 700,000 accommodations worldwide - Over 20 categories of excursions and activities Users can compare different travel scenarios, such as taking a train instead of a domestic flight, and instantly see the impact on their CO₂ emissions. Our contribution went beyond technical implementation. We also helped align the various stakeholders within the consortium, ensuring smooth collaboration and a shared vision throughout the project. **Conclusie**## Innovation with Global Impact CARMACAL evolved into an internationally recognised innovation, receiving prestigious awards including the UNWTO Award for Innovation (2017) and the WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Innovation Award (2016). Today, the platform helps travel organisations around the world measure, understand and reduce their environmental impact, enabling more sustainable travel choices across the industry. [Back to overview](/en/success-stories) Link copied to clipboard > ### What our clients say > > “Dawn Technology delivered the application within budget and exactly on the deadline. They were always on time. With their extensive IT experience and the structure they brought to the project, they made a valuable contribution to the success of CARMACAL.” **Paul Peeters** Lecturer Sustainable Tourism, Hogeschool NHVT ## View similar success stories Health Lifestyle AI ## Our Smart Family Buddy: Reliable AI Coach Our Smart Family Buddy (OSFB) supports young families in Rotterdam South with a healthy lifestyle. Led by Erasmus MC and funded by NWO, the program utilizes a secure AI coach built by Dawn Technology. This coach guides expecting and young parents using reliable answers drawn exclusively from validated knowledge sources, never the open internet. Public Health Mobile CMS PHP Open Source ## CoronaMelder, GGD Contact & CoronaCheck The coronavirus pandemic was the first pandemic where IT played a crucial role in fighting the virus. The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport developed several apps that played a key role in policy to prevent the spread. To achieve this, the ministry relied on expertise both within and outside the government, including ours. ### Looking for a sustainable digital solution? Do you want to use technology to make sustainability measurable, just like at CARMACAL? Leave your details; we would be happy to brainstorm with you. ## Curious about our latest updates? Stay up-to-date in the digital landscape with our newsletter. Enrol and get the latest updates in your mail