Data for mobility issues

Managing regional roads and waterways is an important task of provinces. They develop policy for mobility issues, with goals such as traffic safety, traffic flow and livability. Data technology can contribute to this under the heading of "smart mobility. As part of the report 'Data doorzien - Ethics of the digital transition in the Dutch provinces', we looked at pilots and experiments around smart mobility in the province of North Holland. This case study illustrates the changing role of provincial government, as well as the social and ethical issues associated with smart mobility. Chris de Veer, strategic advisor for Smart Mobility at the province of North Holland, talked about setting up pilots and expanding successful Smart Mobility projects for our research.

September 5, 2019

Article

The management of regional roads and waterways is an important executive core task of the province. The province of North Holland describes in its Environment Vision NH2050 that the need for mobility continues to increase and travel patterns are becoming more diffuse. This growth in mobility affects the living environment, safety and climate. To cope with mobility issues, the province can develop policies to expand or adapt regional public transport systems, invest in bicycle facilities, ensure construction of new provincial (waterway) roads, and influence travel patterns through spatial planning (idem). In this context, the province of North Holland is also active in the area of "Smart Mobility. Within this, the province is focusing on four themes:

Data
Infrastructure (digital and physical, e.g. traffic signs in a digital file that can be read by smart cars)
Vehicle Technology
Mobility as a service

Digitalization in mobility

Robotics, Internet of Things, persuasive technology and artificial intelligence are key technologies that create high expectations in the field of mobility. Smart mobility can contribute to policy goals such as traffic safety, traffic flow and livability. The province of North Holland is looking at smart technology in vehicles, and smart technology in infrastructure. Other aspects of Smart Mobility within the province are offering mobility as a service, for example through apps. Through smartphones and other data sources, new digital data are becoming available about travelers, traffic conditions and the environment. With this data, it is possible to more accurately map and predict traveler patterns. The province of North Holland can use this data not only to better monitor traffic but also to proactively manage it. She sees various questions arising in this regard about who gets what data, what the quality of data is, how the government should or can manage it, and who will soon be "in control. Chris de Veer: "It is very important to also explore the risks, because we are often still in a euphoria phase about what is possible with data. We still need to develop expertise. This can be done by working with parties in practice: experimenting, sharing experiences nationally and internationally.'

Digitization of traffic data

In preparation for new forms of mobility, such as a (partially) self-driving car that can communicate with the road, several pilots are underway within the province of North Holland to digitize traffic information. The signs along all roads must be digitally mapped so that smart cars know how fast they are allowed to drive, or what the priority situation is. But it is also important from a management point of view for the province to have visibility of the traffic signs. However, data is not easy to get accurate and up-to-date, especially during road works. Chris de Veer: "We tried to find out all the speed limits on our roads, but it turned out to be very complicated. It changes often. Sometimes a different sign was put up, and it wasn't passed on. From the province we have a coordinating role, we had to chase municipalities. That's where we as a province may have to push hard for national legislation. For the province, digitization of traffic data thus leads to new questions about the role of the province. Mobility increasingly consists of information chains, in which different parties, including the province, supply or collect data. Now comes the question of who has visibility into these information chains, and who oversees that data. What data does the province need to properly perform its task as road administrator in the digital age? What conditions apply to the acquisition of data around the road, and what are the principles involved? Chris de Veer: "The government will have a very different role. Supervision will become more important, on data and algorithms. Especially if you really think a little further, about self-driving cars. Those coming off the highway and having to go from 100 km/h to 50 km/h, how will that be regulated? Do the cars follow the braking distance of the car that happens to be in front? Or do we want an algorithm with a speed reduction that feels comfortable? That's not being discussed yet.' The question about new roles of government, for example in the area of monitoring data and algorithms, also plays out in high definition mapping. That is accurate topology, down to the millimeter. In what way can the province ensure data quality? What role does the market play, and to what extent should the government take on tasks? Chris de Veer: "If you want to do it right the first time, it has to be available nationwide. If we as a province take it to us, how do we ensure that everyone does what they have to do, with the right quality? If we leave it to the market, inefficiencies can arise: in the worst scenario, the files don't match up and everyone drives onto the shoulder of the road, so to speak.'

New revenue models

The digitization of traffic data also creates new revenue models. A company that installs traffic signs can now sell not only the physical signs, but also, for example, the data about them. As a result, the province appeared to be paying double. By gaining insight into possible future revenue models, the province can anticipate and negotiate more favorable terms of delivery. The question about future revenue models also arises in the case of traffic detour, or in the guidance of traffic flows, for example in so-called "triples" in the Arena area. When there is a soccer match, a concert in ZiggoDome and in AFAS Live at the same time, there are 100,000 people in that area. The many visitors must be directed out of the area in an orderly and quick manner. One possibility is linking parking spaces to cars. However, the fear of a future data monopoly gets in the way of this. In what way can the province work with other governments to create favorable conditions that provide security for businesses and government policy goals? Chris de Veer: 'Owners and managers of parking garages are reluctant to share their data. They don't want a monopolist to emerge: a kind of booking.com for parking garages'. Another possibility is a message from service providers, such as 'go here or there for a cup of coffee at a reduced rate, then you can leave without queuing'. Then these parties can earn from the message/advertisement about the coffee.'

Digitization of the car and the road

The trend toward a self-driving car is in full swing. It is unclear whether it will ever drive fully autonomous on the road. The leader in this industry sector, Waymo, no longer promises this. Moreover, late last year, after several accidents and the revocation of test licenses, Uber decided to stop focusing on the self-driving car. The company now wants to become the platform for micromobility: electric scooters, bicycles, scooters, anything you need to get around town. So the development toward a self-driving car is an uncertain path. At the same time, more and more smart vehicle technology is emerging to support driving. The systems rely on objects or features on the road: for example, road markings, traffic lights or road signs. This does not work flawlessly. When the sun is low, for example, the cameras have trouble recognizing road markings. That has been the cause of recent accidents involving self-driving cars. The province of North Holland is looking at what it can do to make the smart car drive safely, for example by making the road smarter. Projects are under way to put chips in the road and bus stop lights that can communicate with the smart systems in the car. This is because the cameras in the buses did not recognize these "nine-eyes. This combination of smart technology in the car and in the road, so-called "cooperative systems," is Holland's "development path. The trial was successful and is now being further introduced in the Netherlands. However, the combination of smart technology in the car and in the road also means a change of responsibilities. The functioning of the smart road is the responsibility of the road manager. Thus, the province thus becomes co-responsible for the functioning of the car. This raises questions about liability of the province (we will discuss this in more detail in the next section), but also about future maintenance costs. The province is looking at what it can do to keep the car running. However, it is also important to see what the car can do to meet the county's policy goals of safety, traffic flow and sustainability.

Data-driven infrastructure management

In the areas of traffic management and Smart Mobility, much is already happening with data and new technology, but in general there is still little proactive response to technological developments. The Datalab is therefore investigating in which areas the use of data can be intensified. Predictive maintenance is an example of this. Currently, the processes for management and maintenance are quite rigid. There is some customization, but the asphalt is renewed in a fixed cycle and there are fixed moments to measure metal fatigue. Kasper de Rooy: "Bridges, locks and other objects often already have equipment that measures all kinds of variables. At a bridge managed by the province, we are now analyzing this data. Among other things, sensors record information about temperature development, pressure development and vibrations in the bridge, and how long the bridge is open and closed. In the next step within the pilot, we will see if additional sensors are needed, for example about weather influences.' The province is working with an outside party that has knowledge of infrastructure asset management. The expectation is that data-driven work will make it possible to get ahead of breakdowns. Given the short duration of three to four months, there will be no predictive model, but it will become clear what insights sensor data provide. This already provides managers with valuable information to start working more proactively. Kasper de Rooy: "Predictive maintenance is mainly about efficiency and cost savings. Usually nobody is against that. If, with better monitoring, we can ensure that citizens are less likely to experience breakdowns, that's only positive. Still, questions will need to be explored about: who provides the technology, who owns the data and what about intellectual property? Right now the province is experimenting with various parties, and we see that in this area few parties really know the ins and outs.'

Social, ethical and political issues

Digitization is making an ever-increasing stream of data available, as apps, vehicle technology and smart infrastructure exchange more information with each other. This may involve data in the car (driving behavior, braking distance, braking time, speed, etc.), road conditions, or traffic patterns. This data makes new applications possible, but also leads to questions about protection of personal data, for example of motorists or travelers. What data is the province willing and allowed to use, and for what purpose? And what about other parties, such as insurers, navigation companies and police? In the past, compliance with regulations around personal data has not yet meant that travelers or motorists always accept the use of their data. In 2011, there was a fuss about TomTom selling on anonymized data about motorists' driving speeds to the police. The police used this data to adjust the placement of speed cameras. This method was legally permitted and was stated in the terms of use, but many motorists did not agree with the way 'their' data was reused. Meanwhile, several organizations, such as the ANWB, are concerned about the data collected by smart cars and its appropriation by car manufacturers. With the 'My Car, My Data' initiative, ANWB and sister organizations are pleading for more legal protection for vehicle data. What position is the Province of North Holland taking? In practice function creep lurking: the data are used for purposes other than those originally intended. In the case of Automatic Number Plate Registration (ANPR), it turned out that not only were the cameras being used to track down serious criminals, but the police entered into a covenant with the Internal Revenue Service to use the data for tax audits. The province of North Holland had to deal with this in an investigation into ov junctions. Data from travelers was suddenly used for a different purpose: asking travelers about their experience about their travel destination. What data does the province want to collect about travelers, and what not? Chris de Veer: "The agency used data from the telecom provider to see where people had been. Those people received a message: "you have been at that station, what did you think of it?" There was no permission for that. You don't want to be a government operating as Big Brother. You have to ask yourself if you want to go that way.

Autonomy

With the emergence of the Internet of Things and persuasive technology, it is becoming possible to more closely control the behavior of road users. For example, a car may contain a sensor that indicates that it is running low on fuel. Then on the windshield of the car appears the route to the nearest gas station. Useful for users, and for companies. For example, the algorithm could be set up to show the route to the nearest pump of the company that pays the most to the algorithm's designer. Digital steering therefore raises questions about how far technological influence is allowed to go, and how it is done as fairly as possible.

Safety and liability

In the development of the self-driving car, ensuring road safety is one of the most prominent issues. Traffic accidents, even with smart cars, remain inevitable. Consequently, there are ongoing debates about who is responsible if an accident occurs. For cars, risks, responsibilities and liabilities are currently covered in a complex system of driving licenses, insurance obligations, RDW testing, AP inspections, road management, etc. The advent of smart technology in cars and roads may start to cause shifts. In so-called "cooperative systems," the functioning of the smart car depends in part on smart systems in the road. An accident can also come from a failure in a 'roadside system.' In order to determine in the future who or what contributed to the accident, information is needed about what data was sent from the roadside to the car, and vice versa, and about the driver's reaction. This can be done through an electronic data recorder. But how does such a system relate to driver privacy? What data will be recorded? Who can see it, and under what conditions? Of the European eCall system, introduced in 2018, the European Parliament decided that it should lead a "dormant existence. It comes into action only when an accident occurs. It contains information about the accident scene, direction of travel, number of occupants, type of vehicle and type of fuel. The question is whether this will continue in the future, since an active data recorder can help establish liability. This may lead to a new political consideration in the future, where privacy of motorists, and being able to prove who is responsible, are weighed again.

Conclusion

This article shows that mobility policy practice is changing dramatically through the use of data and digital technology. We saw developments around technology in the car, smart technology in the road, and digitization of traffic information (such as traffic signs, speed limits, high definition mapping and the like). The province is preparing for smart cars and self-driving cars through these pathways. These can potentially improve traffic flow, improve road safety and reduce CO2 emissions, but this will only succeed if the province actively steers for this and explores in good time what requirements the digital infrastructure must meet. As guardian of public values, such as traffic safety, an active stance by the province in its role as road administrator is important to get a grip on various social, ethical and political questions. As with nature policy, we see a broadening of the province's role in mobility. It is no longer just the manager of physical infrastructure, but is now also becoming the manager of digital provincial infrastructure and sometimes the associated data. At present, the province and other parties involved have insufficient insight into what this will mean in practice. What responsibilities does the province have for the functioning of digital sensors in the road, or the quality and updating of digital traffic information, such as traffic signs, or soon high definition mapping? Where do provincial responsibilities intersect with those of other parties? The province is currently operating in these innovation projects within a network of many parties, with different responsibilities, with much attention being paid to the technological functioning of the digital infrastructure. Are other issues, such as the division of responsibilities, for management, standardization and quality of digital infrastructure and traffic information receiving sufficient attention? How can the province help shape and direct these developments? What opportunities do research funding, procurement terms, collaboration, participation in standardization forums offer to guide the realization of the province's policy ambitions? This article can also be found in the files Internet of Things and Big Data source: Rathenau Institute