Smart mobility body of knowledge

We believe that a revolution is underway, and we call it the smart mobility revolution. 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.

However, the use of information and communication technologies is emerging as a significant force in transportation and mobility. We expect relatively sudden and radical changes to occur as deployment cycles get shorter and the gap between invention and commercialization gets narrower. The foundation for this revolution has been set by previous programs relating to intelligent transportation systems and intelligent vehicle highway systems. Our belief is that to get the best from the smart mobility revolution it is necessary to re-evaluate current use of technology, assess the benefit of emerging technology and reconsider best practices.

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 the delivery of Decision-quality information to travelers regarding model 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 autonomous 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, pre-processed the data at the roadside and make effective use of telecommunications bandwidth. Going beyond connecting people, this technology will connect a wide range of devices including autonomous and connected vehicles.

Smart mobility offers to deliver highly valuable services within the context of a smart city. 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 city programs 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 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.

In our opinion, the public sector should become more aware of the opportunities and challenges presented by the smart mobility revolution. Building on this awareness, it will be important to acquire additional knowledge that will drive momentum for application. This in turn should lead to the development of action plans and strategies for harnessing the power of smart mobility to improve safety, efficiency, and user experience in urban areas awareness. A few of the important areas were knowledge and information are required are as follows:

• Understand the importance of smart mobility technologies within an overall smart city framework. The absolute best systems not only provide support for internal functions, but completely address the needs of the wider context within which they operate. For example, a smart mobility system can provide a rich stream of data regarding prevailing conditions in the smart city and the demand for transportation. This will provide a valuable input to transportation planning and operation systems are out with the realm of the smart mobility system.

• Understand the value of an analytical approach based on smart mobility data - smart mobility are extremely powerful and providing faster, cheaper, and easier ways to pay, but equally powerful in supporting an analytical approach based on the data that emanates from them.

• Define of suitable strategies to affect transportation demand and smart cities - in addition to understanding how the technologies work, it is vital to have a grasp of what they can do for you. This is a critical part of the outcome that is expected from a smart mobility system implementation. Seek answers to the following questions:

o What strategies can now be applied because of the existence of a smart mobility system. How can the price of transportation be adjusted in real time to achieve policy objectives as prevailing transportation conditions change?

o How can the use of the different modes of transportation available within the smart city be optimized and balanced to deliver the best experience to citizens and visitors?

o How can we recognize the capacity of our various modes of transportation and ensure that these are carefully matched to the prevailing demand for transportation?

• All these questions and more are addressed through the definition and development of a range of pricing strategies. Going beyond this, it is also important to have an effective way to communicate the strategies, explain the intended outcomes and provide advice to the users on getting the best experience.

• Understand the benefits and costs associated with a smart mobility system - this is a relatively simple issue that requires a sophisticated approach. In simple terms, if you cannot communicate the benefits and costs associated with a smart mobility system, it will be exceedingly difficult to convince people to support your proposals. While we are at the early stages of smart mobility system deployment, it is relatively difficult to obtain observed benefit and cost data. However, this is no excuse for avoiding the subject. It is possible to make estimates based on prior experience and use these within a robust methodological approach

• Define technology procurement strategies that incorporate emerging technologies and approaches such as crypto currencies and block chain, while also delivering robust, sustainable solutions. One of the biggest challenges in procurement is to be both thorough and agile. As technology changes rapidly and the pace of technology accelerates, it is necessary to define procurement strategies that ensure that what is required is delivered but also accommodates advances in technology.

While it is also important for the private sector to acquire knowledge and information on the nature and characteristics of the smart mobility revolution, there is a particular need to also explain the capabilities of technology, products, and services and match these carefully to the needs of smart mobility within the smart cities. This will involve the development of a detailed understanding of city needs with respect to mobility and an effective dialogue with the city’s on how capabilities can be matched to the needs. This will also include the provision of knowledge and information to customers on the capabilities of your solutions as well as any constraints

The Smart mobility Body of Knowledge is a unique combination of print, electronic, online, and immersive publishing that delivers opportunities for the public sector to learn more about smart mobility technologies, products, and services. It also allows the private sector to make use of a showcase that explains the values and benefits of their products and services and the practical application.

A multichannel approach will be taken rather than a single method of delivery. This brings the subject matter to life and allows us to support varying objectives. For example, the printed book and e-book chapters must be technology agnostic and focus on the characteristics and benefits that can be delivered. It is designed as an academic textbook that provides an unbiased perspective on the needs, issues, problems, and objectives associated with smart mobility.

The immersive publishing, online channels, is designed to complement the print and e-book delivery, by providing supplementary information on the topics described in the book, with a focus on emerging technologies and topical content. The online channels will also support academics who wish to use the book as a text for courses and programs. A section of the online channel will be devoted to exam questions and answers and only available to registered academics.

Subjects addressed in the PMBOK will include the following:

• Smart city overview

• Mobility

• The values and benefits of smart mobility

• Smart mobility progress around the world

• Planning for smart mobility

• The elements of smart mobility

• Smart mobility technologies

• Smart mobility opportunities and challenges

• A framework for smart mobility success

• Smart mobility performance management

• Smart mobility policy and strategy

• Smart mobility organization

• Smart mobility operational management

The potential for sudden and radical change may be cause for concern when using published printed media as a channel for delivering our new information. However, having studied the ongoing revolution, we have concluded that there are lessons to be learned and best practices that we would describe as “evergreen”, since they remain valuable even as technology and capability change. For example, a robust approach to risk management for projects will remain valuable even with changes in technology. There are also new lessons and new approaches that come along with new and emerging technologies.

There will also be new skills and expertise required from those responsible for delivering smart mobility services and the consumer. For example, micro-mobility services will require that the user understands how to use the service, and this will involve the ability to operate smart phone and the information technology the controls access to the service. Consequently, we have decided to take a multichannel approach to delivering our knowledge and information. This SMBOK will focus on the “evergreen” knowledge that stands the test of time. We will also collaborate with an immersive publishing organization to deliver a complimentary layer of dynamic, topical content in line with changes in technology.

This two-tiered approach will ensure that we deliver a solid core of practical advice accumulated over more than 50 years of experience, while also keeping up to date with emerging technologies and best practices. The result will be more than a book it will be a dynamic body of knowledge that makes full use of today’s multichannel capabilities to deliver a rich stream of information and knowledge.

It is intended that the printed book and e-book chapters will contain evergreen material, fundamental principles and best practices and accumulated experiences from practical applications of smart mobility technologies. These channels will be solution agnostic.

The online immersive channels will support topical materials that complement the evergreen materials in the book. The immersive approach will also include the use of high quality visuals and animations, interviews with practitioners and solution providers and virtual roundtables to bring the subject to life. A tightly integrated professional development programmed will also be developed that enables the latest in online teaching techniques to be applied to provide further depth. The channels will also be supported by a set of advanced tools that enable the use of analytics and visualization techniques to explain the concepts involved.

The body of knowledge will be created by a unique combination of public and private sector practitioners in transportation, mobility, smart cities, journalism, and publishing.

We live in interesting and challenging times. We believe that the time is right to take a different approach to the delivery of knowledge regarding smart mobility. This article has set the scene and provided some information and how we plan to develop and implement a multi-channel smart mobility body of knowledge (SMBOK) that addresses both public and private sector needs for information delivery that will form the basis for sound knowledge of needs, technology capabilities, products, and services.