The deployment of ITS will be impacted by the specific characteristics and circumstances of the area in which it is implemented – whether at local, national or regional level. For example, Latin America has made major investments in ITS – helping to stimulate the emergence of non-governmental ITS organisations to facilitate interaction on ITS deployments between the public and private sectors. Organisations such as ITS Argentina, ITS Brazil, and ITS Chile provide encourage and support.
The context for deployment in Latin America is challenging for many reasons:
Other characteristics that have significant consequences for ITS development are commonly found in countries in Asia:
Increasing demand for mobility, for passenger and commercial vehicles, and railways, is influenced by rising standards of living in emerging economies. All countries are experiencing increased pressure to provide adequate traffic capacity and to maintain infrastructure at acceptable levels.
Major challenges exist and will become more intense as the demand for an acceptable quality of mobility increases and has to be accommodated within resource constraints. Increasing traffic capacity to match the growth of traffic demand is difficult. Meeting these challenges requires commitment and cultural change at the institutional and regulatory levels.
Vehicle ownership is increasing significantly in both developed and developing economies. The road infrastructure is not able to support the growth in traffic highlighting the urgent need for more investment in infrastructure. Academics at the University of California have forecast that the number of motor vehicles (other than two-wheelers) in the world, will reach 1.3 billion by 2020 – more than double the number of vehicles that exist today. Most of the growth is expected in Asia and Latin America.
The increasing number of vehicles on roads are contributing to congestion, consumption of fossil fuel and air pollution. Emerging economies are seeking sustainable solutions to tackle the gap between greater demand and road infrastructure capacity. (See Demand Management)
Providing increased capacity is a major challenge everywhere – but the challenge is intensified if the existing infrastructure of roads and bridges is often in a state of disrepair. Road Authorities and owners of transport infrastructure will need to develop a programme of asset management. (See Asset Management) Sustainable solutions to infrastructure problems must be identified to meet future demand. ITS has an important role to play in making better use of existing capacity. (See Use of ITS)
It is important to communicate the benefits of change – and to demonstrate the opportunities for sustainable mobility and economic growth – to overcome inertia and win public acceptance for legislative change. (See Legal and Regulatory Issues)
Challenges relating to ITS deployments vary considerably from country to country. There are several common misunderstandings about deploying ITS in developing economies that need to be dispelled.
MYTH 1: INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS ARE NOT AFFORDABLE
ITS is expensive to deploy and maintain. Only developed countries can afford to deploy ITS. Emerging economies that are struggling to provide adequate infrastructure to meet mobility demand are not able to afford the costs associated with ITS.
Reality
ITS can provide cost effective solutions to the problem of growing demands – and long-term sustainable solutions to the traffic and travel problems experienced in developed and emerging economies.
For emerging economies, with scarce resources to dedicate to building new highway capacity, ITS solutions can increase the efficiency of existing capacity. Many ITS applications deployed in developing economies have proven that the benefits outweigh the overall costs of implementation. (See ITS Benefits)
Myth 2: Intelligent Transport Systems are difficult to implement
ITS implementation requires sophisticated technologies. Emerging economies have to depend on developed countries for technologies and expertise for any ITS deployment.
Reality
ITS can be implemented in tandem with traditional transport infrastructure projects so they complement each other – or as an independent project which is an alternative to traditional solutions. With ITS know-how and planning, these projects can be easily mainstreamed in a regional transport investment programme. ITS applications that currently exist in developing countries include network monitoring, adaptive signal control, and traffic rerouting. Smartphone applications enable crowd-sourcing of real-time information on traffic status. Augmenting conventional transport infrastructure with ITS applications has been successful in easing mobility problems in many emerging economies. (See Deployment Strategies and Priority Projects)
Myth 3: Intelligent Transport Systems can BE USED TO replace TRADITIONAL TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
Surface transportation investments will not be necessary when ITS becomes mainstream. ITS will be the dominant transportation infrastructure – ultimately lessening the need for any other transport infrastructure.
Reality
ITS is an integral part of a modern transport system. ITS can be deployed alongside existing transport infrastructure, efficiently and effectively. ITS helps solve mobility problems step-by-step, in a sustainable manner. Decision makers in emerging economies are aware that ITS applications cannot solve all their mobility problems instantly. A phased implementation strategy requires systematic planning by public agencies – for example, by developing an ITS architecture that will support future system integration between existing and new systems. This needs to be combined with a regulatory regime that encourages development by commercial (“added-value”) service providers. (See Strategic Planning)
Myth 4: Planning and Evaluation are not important for ITS projects
ITS planning is a waste of time and resources. The need for ITS is always immediate – so there is no need to spend additional time on planning an ITS deployment.
Reality
Sustainable solutions to mobility problems through ITS require comprehensive planning and organisational capability at national and regional levels. ITS planning can include developing and maintaining an ITS architecture which supports system integration and expansion. ITS evaluation helps assess whether an ITS plan is on track to meet programme objectives – and what actions are necessary to meet the objectives of the ITS plan. ITS requires careful planning and evaluation to support future expandability, interoperability and system integration. (See Project Appraisal)
There are a great variety of ITS technologies. The basic building blocks form part of the ITS infrastructure and its supporting framework of data and information – or “info-structure” – that enables further ITS applications to be developed. For example, digital maps are an enabling technology for vehicle navigation and must be in place before navigation and route guidance services can be developed. (See Basic Info-structure). The three most widely-available enabling technologies for ITS in developing countries are Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), cellular mobile phones, and the internet.
The adoption of advanced ITS technologies in some transitional and developing countries has been very rapid. As latecomers in deploying ITS they benefit from two main advantages:
Countries without extensive legacy technical infrastructure (for example, ground telephone systems) or institutional infrastructure (such as automatic banking systems) are able to exploit mobile communications and smart card technologies with less institutional resistance.
A technology review should include all commercial and military technologies that are available. The basic considerations for comparing and choosing between them – for ITS applications – are fundamentally the same, irrespective of how communication technologies develop. A cost-benefit analysis of communications options is a basic requirement. Other important criteria for selection are:
Maintenance standards of infrastructure can also have a bearing on the type of ITS equipment to be installed. For example, if the road surface is poorly maintained, it does not make sense to lay loop detectors underneath it – since they are likely to be out of action for long periods.
ITS technology may be adapted to serve different or multiple functions. For example, in many countries automatic vehicle location using GPS is more often installed on trucks and buses for security reasons – rather than for efficient fleet dispatch. This kind of application may be mandated by government to achieve policy objectives – such as reducing crime.
Climate and weather conditions may require a particular approach. For example, in some parts of Indonesia expressway sign boards are illuminated to improve traffic sign visibility – to overcome the problem of torrential rain in the wet season followed by extremely dusty conditions in the dry season.
Other important assessment criteria include:
The organisation procuring the equipment must assess the commitment and capability of the supplier – either directly or indirectly – through a reference check. “Least cost” tenders are not necessarily the best ones as the suppliers offering them may not have the capability to deliver and may not survive in competition.
Wherever possible, when procuring ITS, it is advisable not to rely on technical specifications that will limit the supplier’s options. A better approach is to develop minimum performance requirements and insist in the tender documents that the supplier provides “proof of concept” for its solution – to show that it will deliver the required performance. This will reduce the risk of procuring end-of-life or obsolescent equipment and is more likely to achieve a good result. Safeguards should be included in the contract, such as break points. Risk sharing can be achieved through prototyping and group purchasing.