This book explores the physical and electronic integration of innovative urban public transport systems in seven metropolitan cities in South Africa and Zimbabwe in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0). The book also highlights how collaborative engagement can improve new transport projects in cities of the Global South. It demonstrates how integration concerns remain in transport infrastructure projects in cities of the developing countries. Consequently, in order to strengthen the emerging and promising economies of these cities, there is a need for efficient, integrated, reliable and affordable public transport systems. The book explains that plans to deliver innovative transport systems in the Global South need to be well coordinated and managed to yield physically and electronically integrated systems.
World-renowned economist Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, explains that we have an opportunity to shape the fourth industrial revolution, which will fundamentally alter how we live and work. Schwab argues that this revolution is different in scale, scope and complexity from any that have come before. Characterized by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, the developments are affecting all disciplines, economies, industries and governments, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human. Artificial intelligence is already all around us, from supercomputers, drones and virtual assistants to 3D printing, DNA sequencing, smart thermostats, wearable sensors and microchips smaller than a grain of sand. But this is just the beginning: nanomaterials 200 times stronger than steel and a million times thinner than a strand of hair and the first transplant of a 3D printed liver are already in development. Imagine “smart factories” in which global systems of manufacturing are coordinated virtually, or implantable mobile phones made of biosynthetic materials. The fourth industrial revolution, says Schwab, is more significant, and its ramifications more profound, than in any prior period of human history. He outlines the key technologies driving this revolution and discusses the major impacts expected on government, business, civil society and individuals. Schwab also offers bold ideas on how to harness these changes and shape a better future—one in which technology empowers people rather than replaces them; progress serves society rather than disrupts it; and in which innovators respect moral and ethical boundaries rather than cross them. We all have the opportunity to contribute to developing new frameworks that advance progress.
The purpose of this Special Issue is to create an an academic platform whereby high-quality research papers are published on the applications of innovative AI algorithms to transportation planning and operation. The authors present their original research articles related to the applications of AI or machine-learning techniques to transportation planning and operation. The topics of the articles encompass traffic surveillance, traffic safety, vehicle emission reduction, congestion management, traffic speed forecasting, and ride sharing strategy.
Mobility is fundamental to economic and social activities such as commuting, manufacturing, or supplying energy. Each movement has an origin, a potential set of intermediate locations, a destination, and a nature which is linked with geographical attributes. Transport systems composed of infrastructures, modes and terminals are so embedded in the socio-economic life of individuals, institutions and corporations that they are often invisible to the consumer. This is paradoxical as the perceived invisibility of transportation is derived from its efficiency. Understanding how mobility is linked with geography is main the purpose of this book. The third edition of The Geography of Transport Systems has been revised and updated to provide an overview of the spatial aspects of transportation. This text provides greater discussion of security, energy, green logistics, as well as new and updated case studies, a revised content structure, and new figures. Each chapter covers a specific conceptual dimension including networks, modes, terminals, freight transportation, urban transportation and environmental impacts. A final chapter contains core methodologies linked with transport geography such as accessibility, spatial interactions, graph theory and Geographic Information Systems for transportation (GIS-T). This book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the field, with a broad overview of its concepts, methods, and areas of application. The accompanying website for this text contains a useful additional material, including digital maps, PowerPoint slides, databases, and links to further reading and websites. The website can be accessed at: http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans This text is an essential resource for undergraduates studying transport geography, as well as those interest in economic and urban geography, transport planning and engineering.
Over the past two decades, society has been witnessing how technological, political, and societal changes have been transforming individual and collective urban mobility. Driven both by newcomers and traditional players, by disruptive as well as incremental innovations, the main objective now is to enhance mobility and accessibility while, reducing vehicle ownership, congestion, road accidents, and pollution in cities. This transformation has been mainly enabled by the widespread adoption of internet-connected devices (e.g.: smartphones and tablets) and by the innovative business models, technologies, and use-cases that arose from this rapid digitalization, such as peer-to-peer, and two-sided markets providing several mobility schemes: car-sharing, car-pooling, bike sharing, free-floating (cars, bikes, electric scooter), ridesharing and ride hailing either for long distances as well as for urban and micro-mobility. The book presents – in a holistic perspective – how this revolution is happening and what are the major cornerstones for the implementation of robomobility. It aims at answering several substantial issues, such as: What is robomobility and what does it imply for the different stakeholders of the public transport ecosystem? How do policy makers integrate this innovation and how ready the regulations are? How do citizens take part in this transformation? What is the level of user acceptance for this new type of mobility? What are its environmental impacts? What is the economic impact of deploying these shuttles in a local ecosystem?
Exploring Ethical Dimensions of Environmental Sustainability and Use of AI is a comprehensive and insightful book that delves into the ethical implications and challenges that emerge at the intersection of environmental sustainability and the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI). With a focus on key ethical dimensions such as transparency, equity, privacy, autonomy, unintended consequences, and trade-offs, this book aims to provide a thorough understanding of the responsible deployment and development of AI in the realm of environmental sustainability. By addressing the ethical aspects and challenges involved, this book contributes to the development of ethical guidelines and frameworks that align AI technologies with the vision of a sustainable and equitable future. Researchers will find immense value in this book as it offers a holistic exploration of the ethical implications, filling a critical gap in the existing literature. Policymakers can gain valuable insights to inform the creation of ethical guidelines and regulations governing AI use in sustainable initiatives. Practitioners, including professionals working in environmental organizations or technology companies, will acquire practical knowledge to guide their decision-making and implementation of AI-driven solutions.
The fourth industrial revolution, characterized by digitization, artificial intelligence and augmented reality, and megatrends such as globalization, urbanization, demographic changes, and the knowledge-based economy, will trigger a series of profound technological, economic, social and environmental changes that will permanently and irreversibly change the role of the state in meeting social needs. Industry 4.0 will also change the type, nature, and scope of public goods and how they are produced, financed, delivered, and consumed. This book redefines the current paradigm of public goods. It proposes a model of production and distribution of public goods that acknowledges the participation of entities from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. The authors argue that these entities would participate in the production, financing, distribution, and consumption of such goods. From a theoretical point of view, such an inclusive approach involving the expansion of the classical state – market dichotomy with new entities, including citizens themselves, leads to a new conceptualization and approach towards public goods. The model assumes shared responsibility, subsidiarity, and paternalistic libertarianism, and it allows the state to create new entities of an educational or fiscal nature, while remaining the regulator of public services and distribution. Additionally, the book analyzes changes regarding the perception of public goods, in the era of the fourth industrial revolution, across selected sectors such as healthcare and pension systems, education, local public goods, and public utility services. The book is primarily addressed to researchers, scholars, and students across social and technical sciences, and it will also be a useful guide for central and local administration bodies responsible for public policy. Chapters 4, 5 and 6 of this book are available for free in PDF format as Open Access from the individual product page at www.routledge.com. They have been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.
This publication delivers an interdisciplinary approach from professionals and scholars working in government, the United Nations, academia, scientific research, and private sector. The purpose of this publication is (1) to raise awareness on new technological innovations and how these changes affect urban infrastructure and the quality of living of urban dwellers; (2) to enhance collective knowledge on different user cases of new technologies in cities and the potential benefits and risks; and (3) to call for collaboration and collective actions from all cities to smartly use and govern new tech solutions for a safer, more inclusive, and more prosperous urban environment. The launch of this publication coincided with the 10th World Urban Forum (WUF10), Abu Dhabi, 2020. Principal authors: Michael Keith, Jian Gao, Tao Zhou, Quanhui Liu, Hui Zeng, Mingxiao Zhao, Baolin Cao, Gerhard Schmitt, Jaideep Gupte, Saiful Ridwan, Harrison Simotwo, Pietro Visetti, Keli Zhu, Hongshan Zhang, Shudong Cui, Yifan Li, He Jia, George Economides, Zhiyong Fu, Peter Scupelli, Jiajun Xu, Xinyue Wu, Haishan Wu, Lei Yin, Shantian Cheng, Deyi Wu, and Bingnan Yin
