Connections Transport & ICT Advances and Challenges in “Intelligent Transportation” 102668 The Evolution of ICT to address Transport Challenges in Developing Countries Winnie Wang, Raman Krishnan, and Adam Diehl Transport efficiency and safety in the advanced economies have long benefited from information and communication technology (ICT). However, these ICT applications have typically been high-cost, 69 customized infrastructure systems. Now the era of the Internet, digital mobile communication, and “big data” analysis has created a new global potential for % less costly and more powerful “intelligent transport systems” (ITS). The World Bank is supporting client transport agencies in deploying these new The potential reduction in tools—including cloud-based services, open data travel times for bus rapid standards, and smartphone applications—to more transit with ITS integration efficiently manage transportation assets and improve road safety. In the process, such projects have also demonstrated improvements in the traveler’s experience and the attractiveness of public transit. Moreover, the greater potential of the new technologies to reduce congestion and travel times means that the new era has also strengthened the potential of ITS to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, realizing the potential of ITS in developing countries depends on improvements in assessment practices to find what works best and in the data capabilities of domestic institutions. Significant improvements in these areas are critical to the success of ITS. Improving Efficiency and the The new ICT tools also show promise for improving urban systems. They include vehicle-locating sys- Traveler’s Experience tems using global positioning system (GPS) infor- The new generation of ICT tools are helping improve mation; fare collection and revenue management; the management of national transport infrastructure. and traffic signaling; and improved information for The World Bank is helping Belarus develop “weight transit travelers. The potential to replicate these in motion” control systems that continuously moni- technologies across the globe rests in large part on tor axle loads, making it easier to stop overweight their use of the General Transit Feed Specification trucks while allowing those under the weight limit to (GTFS) open data standard. These technologies are bypass inspection. Another focus is helping clients enabling the following urban transport applications, create traffic control centers that use ICT to improve among others: traffic management, emergency response, and the • E-ticketing to integrate fare systems and reve- availability of information for road travelers. nue distribution across multiple transport modes NOVEMBER 2015 NOTE 26 • Area traffic control to improve vehicle flow and the GTFS standard and census data, to evaluate the thus reduce air pollution and cut GHG emissions accessibility of public transport systems in real time. • Dispatch and vehicle location systems to shorten transit times, including reductions of as much as 69% for bus rapid transit (BRT),1 Road Safety thus also reducing GHG emissions Improving road safety is a focal point of ITS work. New user-level ICT systems being advanced by Speed cameras and remotely controlled electronic the World Bank include a new transit information signs to discourage road traffic violations have system in Brazil and a smartphone app in Belarus to helped reduce the incidence of accidents. A 2007 report road surface problems. In Brazil, the transit report on studies of speed camera programs world- agencies covering ferries, metro, trains, and inter- wide found crash reductions ranging from 9 to 41 city buses in the state of Rio de Janeiro are working percent.3 Road safety “hackathons” use crowdsourc- to transmit travelers’ information, using GTFS, to ing to develop safety-enhancing web-based and electronic signage as well as to travelers’ mobile de- smartphone applications. Data management sys- vices. The data will also help stakeholders conduct tems help authorities collect and analyze systematic multimodal planning. information on road incidents and create responses to make roads safer (see Connections Note #12). In Belarus, the World Bank team worked closely with the national road agency to develop a new smart- phone application, RoadLab,2 which allows auto- Challenges matic evaluation of road roughness and detection of The deployment of ITS in the developing world faces major road bumps based on smartphone accelerom- some significant obstacles that must be overcome if eters in real time. It also allows road users to report ITS is to be widely applicable in developing coun- live road safety hazards with precise GPS informa- tries. However, the lack of adequate research on cost tion. This user-based approach also promotes citizen effectiveness is a global challenge. engagement and enhances government accountabil- ity by enabling road agencies to promptly and stra- Interoperability. The various client agencies in a tegically respond to collectively identified problems. multiagency project may not have a mandate to Built with open protocols, the product will be easily share data, and the data to be exchanged may not applied globally. conform to standardized formats. The World Bank has supported other crowdsourc- Data analysis. Even when data systems are integrat- ing transport applications to transmit opinions and ed and standardized, editing the raw data so that it complaints to road agencies and in turn permit the can yield useful results often challenges the capacity agencies to address them in a cost effective manner. of agencies in developing countries. World Bank support has helped produce smart- Documenting effectiveness. The connection be- phone apps that employ locational data to collect tween ICT and transport benefits experienced anec- user-generated origin-destination information about dotally has not received enough systematic research transit use (see Connections Note #2). It has also (see Connections Notes #16 and #17). Also needed helped create tools for estimating travel demand are case studies to highlight the technological and patterns from the call detail records generated by institutional conditions required for success. mobile phones (see Connections Note #4) and, with 1 Kittelson and Associates et al., 2007, TCRP Report 118: Bus Rapid 3 Lawrence E. Decina et al., 2007, Automated Enforcement: A Com- Transit Practitioner’s Guide, National Academies Transportation pendium of Worldwide Evaluations of Results, U.S. Department Research Board, U.S. Federal Transit Administration, Washington, of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DC. Report No. DOT HS 810 763, Washington, DC. 2 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.softteco. qualityroad&hl=en Connections is a weekly series of knowledge notes from the World Bank Group’s Transport & Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Global Practice. Covering projects, experiences, and front-line developments, the series is produced by Nancy Vandycke and Shokraneh Minovi. The notes are available at http://www.worldbank.org/transport/connections NOVEMBER 2015 NOTE 26 69 % The potential reduction in travel times for bus rapid transit with ITS integration