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How does infrastructure play a role in society?
Infrastructure plays an undeniably pivotal role in society; a constant that shapes productivity through the creation of growth opportunities for cities and communities. Increasingly, we are becoming reliant on these infrastructure-enabled opportunities. As investment in infrastructure projects continues to rise, data-driven insights and technology provide a ‘vehicle’ to reduce cost, mitigate risk and provide justification for the long-term societal commitment to back these projects.
In Australia, $100 billion is slated for infrastructure spending, it is crucial that this investment is maximising taxpayer dollars and providing assets that amortise their efforts through increased productivity.
"Technology is becoming the enabling constant when it comes to driving progress."
As noted by a KPMG 2019 Emerging Trends in Infrastructure Report, data is critical to driving operational efficiencies and increasing the analytical and ‘evidence-based decision making’ capabilities of developers, investors, public agencies and organisations. As a result, this opens a path to explore data generated from non-traditional sources to create even more significant design and operational efficiencies.
Why Transport Infratech
We are seeing a shift towards more complex projects that provide the infrastructure to keep up with our ever-increasing ambition. From a network of flying cars to a C.A.S.E. (Connect, Autonomous, Shared & Electrified) future, the vision laid out is highly dependent on evolving and emerging technologies to make this happen. That’s why Infratech is becoming a critical market for investment, not only in capital-terms but also for the accompanying societal acceptance and support. We live in an age of instant gratification with buzz words like ‘edge computing’, ‘big data’ and ‘on-demand’ and it’s through this social preference that markets for Infratech gain relevance.
Just as infrastructure investment is a constant within developed regions, subsequent technology enablers and partners that exist to innovate in these spaces get pulled along.
Developers, Transport agencies, Local Governments—the custodians of our future, one could say—are finding new ways to position themselves with emerging transport technology.
“You can’t understand a city without using its Public Transportation system.”
- Erol Ozan
With population growth and continued development, building more roads and creating more space for vehicles is not the answer. This is seen in the phenomenon known as ‘induced demand’ whereby increased capacity, as a result of improved road infrastructure is quickly utilised by an unsatisfied build-up of demand over time. What’s needed is a shift in mindset and a way to challenge the status quo to speed up progress and provide more opportunities within ‘arm’s reach’.
Companies that incorporate C.A.S.E. will be a step ahead
Terms such as ‘Smart Cities’, ‘Mobility-as-a-Service’ and ‘Autonomous Vehicles’ all have a common foundation that will be the difference between buzz word and paradigm shift.
Connected
We are quickly becoming more intertwined and connected to the things we do every day. Just as internet browsing patterns and geo-location influence the ads you see online, the vision of a connected transportation network can use data to prioritise vehicle capacity and route in real-time to move commuters efficiently through peak hour traffic. Making evidence-based real-time decisions will be the output of a connected landscape.
Autonomous
Gone will be the day of vehicle ownership through the rise of autonomous vehicles. Pooled fleet ownership and the removal of subjectivity offers the promise of reduced casualties, increased infrastructure utilisation and improved productivity.
Electrified
In the US, 29% of all carbon emissions come from transportation. To reduce carbon emissions, as noted by the Paris Accord, is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Some see a massive opportunity for electrified fleets to provide a significant benefit not only to the environment but also to the reduction of ongoing costs associated with maintaining and producing transportation options.
Shared (yes, the order is wrong but important!)
The reason for leaving this for last is that we believe this is the most crucial factor for enabling a future of C.A.S.E. The shared component will be the driving force behind all the efficiency, innovation and progress. Without the willingness to shift our behaviour to shared experiences, we risk a high-tech, green and autonomous version of ‘induced demand’. We see our challenge as not about creating great technology, but on creating shared space underpinned by new and fun experiences, to ultimately shift the balance back in favour of sustainable travel modes.
“We see our challenge as not about creating great technology, but on creating shared space underpinned by new and fun experience...”
A Framework for Success
Companies that adopt a way to establish a C.A.S.E. methodology will find themselves with an advantage over their competitors. Ultimately we are all after an engaging and purposeful experience in life, and it’s through this concept that organisations will have the opportunity to improve.
Summary
Infrastructure is undoubtedly a significant influence on productivity and through the vision of a Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Electrified transport future, organisations will be able to take advantage of shared mobility solutions that ultimately improve outcomes and increase efficiencies. Transport Infratech is providing the necessary support to allow organisations to think a little differently about how they create opportunity within the creation of major infrastructure underpinned by shared experiences.
