Berg Insight, an Internet of Things (IoT) market provider, has published new findings detailing smart cities and the type of transport systems they need.
According to the research firm, there’s a growing demand for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) to ensure public travel modes and roads in smart cities are efficient.
The analyst house claims that while the smart public transport market is still in the growth phase, it will continue to expand over the next few years, and it will be impacted by a number of technologies.
Smart transport
Connected technology is set to transform the way people travel around cities dramatically. New technological developments will result in improved competitiveness and integration with alternative modes of transportation.
ITS-related developments can alter the way solution providers control the market, Berg Insight says. By capitalizing on IoT tech, transport companies can stay ahead of the crowd and attract customers.
IoT is already attracting significant interest in the public services sector, and Berg says this is expanding to the realm of transport. In order for public transportation to remain viable for the public, services need to be predictable, comfortable and timely.
Improved services
Fredrik Stalbrand, an IoT/M2M analyst at Berg Insight, said: “Multimodal journeys are often needed to ensure door-to-door travel approaching the flexibility of the car.”
He believes that providers can use ITS in a bid to improve the quality of journeys across different transport modes, including trains and buses. In order for ITS to be a success, the industry will need to collaborate.
“Closer integration and open data sharing between the systems of the ever-increasing number of companies operating public transport services on the deregulated public transport market is thus a prerequisite to achieve competitiveness,” he continued.
Challenges for smart cities
Integration between public and private transport modes will also be crucial in creating smarter city-based travel systems. “New initiatives such as park ‘n’ ride facilities, bike sharing programs and real-time car ridesharing solutions are paving the way for the future,” he added.
Developing these systems won’t be easy, though. Alex Mathews, EMEA technical manager of Positive Technologies, said: “The developers of smart transportation often underestimate the impact from hostile environments. Segway scooters worked well on smooth and empty hospital trails, but they couldn’t become mainstream in real cities.
“In much the same way, smart car developers provide a car with lots of sensors and controls but don’t consider how this ‘tech’ offers new ways to hack a car. Self-driving vehicles are significantly dependent on network connections – and are therefore extremely vulnerable as they use old software platforms and communication channels (Wi-Fi, GPS etc).
“Transport with Artificial Intelligence (AI) will create another problem as self-learning, based on numerous data points that don’t allow for context, make it hard to tell a hacked AI from one that’s not-so-correct.
“In general, the computerisation of critical systems (such as transport) requires a totally new security approach. By now, we live in the doomed world of insufficient IT security that stays apart from industrial security and safety.”
Related: Transport Scotland turns to IoT to keep roads clear this winter