Driving solutions that navigate the intersection of infrastructure and technology

State and local transportation agencies find themselves at a crossroads in efforts to revitalize aging transportation infrastructure while adapting to the demands of modernized IT infrastructure.

In a new panel discussion, KPMG Principal Tony Hernandez and Kevin Tunks, technology advisor and application architect for Red Hat, shed light on the challenges, opportunities and practical strategies that can help transportation agencies modernize their infrastructure and meet evolving strategic priorities.

Much of the transportation infrastructure built over half a century ago is now reaching the end of its service life. The world has witnessed significant technological advancements over the last 50 years; infrastructure must be refreshed and upgraded to meet modern demands. Tony Hernandez highlighted a recent example where a major incident on Interstate 95 resulted in a rapid response that would have been unthinkable a decade ago, demonstrating how technology has evolved and improved emergency response.

“When we’re talking about all of the devices that are doing traffic monitoring—that could be sensors and video or weather monitoring—and then think about the vehicles themselves, as the vehicles continue to evolve, the amount of data that’s coming off of connected and autonomous vehicles is going to be staggering,” said Hernandez.

“So, as we’re considering refreshing our infrastructure, we have to be thinking about refreshing it so that it can meet all of these new technical demands. Not just the demands for today, but to have an infrastructure that’s flexible and scalable enough that we have to use this infrastructure for the next 20 to 30 years,” he said.

Kevin Tunks shared an example of a successful modernization project involving a metropolitan railway group in the Northeast. The project started by tracking enterprise assets, which is crucial for minimizing downtime and improving maintenance. They leveraged mobile technology, sensors and a hybrid cloud approach to enable data analytics, ultimately improving safety and service.

“That unlocked a lot of new insights very quickly for them, that they could improve rider experience, employee experience and ultimately a better overall experience of executing their fundamental missions because the technology just increased the speed with which all that information was available,” added Tunks.

“There’s no way to predict with precision what the requirements will be 20 to 30 years into the future. However, if you build technologies into your core platforms following good and open standards, you can ensure that components like messaging frameworks, AI and security technology can evolve with your needs,” said Tunks.

Hernandez and Tunks highlight that transportation agencies can enter a new era of efficient and secure infrastructure by adopting forward-thinking strategies, embracing technology, and fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors.

Learn more about integrating connected and automated technology to meet citizen safety and services goals.

This video panel discussion was produced by Scoop News Group, for FedScoop and StateScoop and supported by KPMG.

Some of the services described herein may not be permissible for KPMG audit clients and their affiliates or related entities.

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