The Internet of things, or IoT, encompasses much more than smartwatches and smart speakers like Amazon’s Alexa.
Without most people realizing it, the IoT is transforming the entire world, including roads and transportation systems. Networked traffic signals, road signs, street lights, and parking spaces communicate with highly connected vehicles to, as technology developers and transit planners claim, improve safety and expedite travel.
The promise of connected transportation presents itself at an opportune time. McKinsey & Company estimate that 60 percent of people around the world will live in cities by 2030. That would increase urban populations by 50 percent over current levels. Rapid growth will greatly increase traffic, putting pressure on cities to develop transportation systems that alleviate congestion, pollution, and safety concerns.
Deploying connected transportation solutions requires cities to introduce new technology and infrastructure that can collect and share data about all types of vehicles, mass transit systems, and the environment. Major obstacles to doing this remain, including the four highlighted here.
Old networks
Many of the Wi-Fi networks on which the IoT depend were built on proprietary or legacy telecommunication systems and are already at or over capacity. Just keeping the networks operating is difficult and expensive, and they do not incorporate new technologies easily. As the IoT proliferates, intelligent transportation systems will need to accommodate several additional zettabytes each year.
Cities must modernize their networks and ensure that all information technology is scalable and able to easily integrate multiple forms of infrastructure and data from disparate sources. Vehicles, traffic signals, buses, trains, and weather satellites will all need to make optimal use of the same equipment and inputs.
Cybersecurity
As with any industry, cybersecurity is a massive concern for the transportation sector, especially during the transition to modern networks, which may expose vulnerabilities. To keep citizens and their data safe, transportation officials must secure every component of the networked transportation system, including traffic lights, road sensors, and light-rail train GPS locators. Imagine the impact if a cybercriminal shut down public transit services, took control of traffic signals or remotely operated an autonomous shuttle bus.
To reduce risks, cities, states, and transportation agencies must implement a comprehensive security strategy. Rather than reinvent the wheel, officials can leverage existing frameworks such as the U.S. Department of Transportation’s reference designs for connected and automated vehicle systems and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cyber Security. Joining an information sharing and analysis center for surface transportation like the ST-ISAC will also help transportation agencies stay informed and ahead of the latest threats.
Data Analytics
After upgrading and securing their networks, cities can begin collecting real-time, comprehensive data on everything from traffic flow to weather conditions. Keeping that data siloed will prevent transportation officials from gleaning insights on how to improve decision-making and deliver added value to commuters. Consider that while an IoT-enabled traffic signal could communicate with connected vehicles to alert drivers to slow down in the event of an accident, delivering the same data to transportation officials could drive discussions of how to improve safety in that particular area.
To acquire powerful data analytics capabilities, cities and states should deploy IoT platforms that can aggregate data. The tools must be intuitive and capable of extracting needles from haystacks to deliver the kind of actionable information that spurs transformation.
Costs
Cities will have to invest in new technologies to power their connected transportation systems. But 78 percent of respondents to a Governing Institute survey identified lack of funding as the biggest barrier to developing intelligent transportation systems.
In the United States, this concern could be partially assuaged by securing federal grants created specifically to fund connected transportation projects. For example, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act established the Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment program, which awards a total of $60 million each year for what the law describes as “the development of model deployment sites for large-scale installation and operation of advanced transportation technologies to improve safety, efficiency, system performance, and infrastructure return on investment.”
While most cities have yet to make significant headway in deploying connected transportation systems, they can jumpstart their efforts by overcoming challenges associated with outdated networks, cybersecurity, data analytics, and costs. With these obstacles out of the way, the ride to completely connected digitized roads and highways will be much smoother, making everyday travel more efficient and safer – no matter how populated cities become.
Photo by Tony Mendez