While the term “revolution” can often have negative connotations, our perception is that the smart mobility revolution is extremely positive. It will result in safer, cheaper, and more enjoyable travel. The definition of the term revolution that we have in mind when we apply it to smart mobility is “sudden, radical change.”. Sudden is a relative term depending on your perspective. If you are involved in planning and delivering roads, then the life-cycle you have in mind can be 30 to 50 years. If you conduct product planning and design for smart phones, then the life-cycle you have in mind could be as short as 12 to 18 months. In either case, the terms “sudden” and “radical” have different meanings that are relative to the overall life-cycle.
A new level of awareness and a higher degree of agility will be required to adapt to the smart mobility revolution. We think that the smart mobility revolution is happening now. Examples include a switch from predominantly public sector funding, to private sector funding for smart mobility applications. This is changing the nature of business models and the relationships between the public and private sectors. Another example is the application of sensor technologies, telecommunications, and smart devices to provide mobility as a service. This involves delivers decision-quality information to travelers regarding modal choice, reliability, and cost of service, as a way of improving the quality of decision-making. Some of the most radical changes are occurring in the fields of automated and connected vehicles where significant progress is being made towards the implementation of fully automated vehicles.
Connected vehicles also provide the ability to interact with the driver and collect data from the multiple systems and sensors on-board the vehicle. These technologies will revolutionize traffic operations and data acquisition for traffic operations and planning. The Internet of things is also playing a significant role here with new abilities to collect data with smart sensors, preprocessing the data at the roadside and more effective use of telecommunications bandwidth. Going beyond connecting people, this technology will connect a wide range of devices including automated and connected vehicles.
Smart mobility offers to deliver highly valuable services across entire transportation networks. If we are to harness the effects of smart mobility effectively, it is important that we build on lessons learned from prior implementations of advanced transportation technology and major transportation projects from the past. As we embark on the next stage of smart mobility by delivering integrated systems that cover all these aspects and more, a reference source on what has gone before combined with guidance on how to move forward, is particularly valuable. The timing is also important as the emergence of smart mobility around the world has placed a renewed focus on the application of advanced technologies within urban environments.
Smart mobility has an important role to play in the successful and effective application of advanced technologies that will improve the lives of citizens and visitors in both rural and urban areas. There is also a tipping point at which the focus shifts from making the technology work, to devising appropriate strategies to extract value from the technology. The industry is at that tipping point making it essential to communicate appropriate strategies to the practitioner community.
The smart mobility revolution is taking place within a wider context of rapidly accelerating technology change. Some of this is captured in the emergence of a term known as the “fourth industrial revolution”. This umbrella label covers new and emerging technologies such as 3d printing, artificial intelligence, advanced communications, and internet technologies. In fact, it could be perceived it smart mobility is a subset of the fourth industrial revolution as it involves the application of a combination of technologies to achieve dramatic and relatively sudden results.
In addition to the application of technology, this combination of technologies is also likely to have socio-economic impact. Marketing professionals are already talking about adopting a market segment of one, in which big data and advanced analytics makes it possible to deliver mass customization.
The revolution is being driven by a convergence between the growing need to solve urban transportation problems and the emergence of new technologies and radical business models.