Deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems in Countries with Developing and Transitional Economies: ITS Toolkit

To provide guidance to countries with developing and transitional economies on strategies for introducing intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and to help with the challenges of surface transportation, the World Bank and Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport published the ITS Toolkit. In brief, ITS is the application of information technology (IT)—computers, communications, sensors, databases, and the like—to these challenges. Most ITS applications, however, have arisen in developed countries because of the rapidly falling costs of IT equipment, the prevalence of tried and tested off-the-shelf ITS solutions, and the prevalence of other general-purpose IT infrastructure, such as mobile phone networks, the Internet, and digital road maps, which have allowed new services, or old services provided in a different way, to be acquired with much less outlay. This suggests that as ITS becomes more affordable, the chances to introduce ITS are expanding to countries with developing and transitional economies. Discussed are the emergence of affordable ITS, ITS culture around the world, issues to consider in ITS deployment, and policy recommendations for ITS deployment in countries with developing and transitional economies. A brief overview of the guidance of the ITS Toolkit is also included. The guidance is aimed primarily at policy makers and decision makers in those countries with developing and transitional economies. It strives to provide the background, context, and tools for effective ITS planning and decision making and addresses social, institutional, and legal issues as well as technology.