SuperBusinessPlatform (SBP) is a large IT company specialising in cloud platform services. SBP is considering the development of a new cloud platform offer for ‘smart transportation’ in cities. Smart transportation refers to the use of sensors, software, and artificial intelligence to improve the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of transportation. Data provided by sensors embedded in vehicles (e.g., busses and cars) and infrastructure (e.g., the road system) is gathered and processed with optimization algorithms. A significant part of this data is likely to be processed and analyzed in the cloud. So, a platform that offers a common interface between specific applications (e.g., traffic congestion management application; road maintenance application; energy management application) and the data gathered on the cloud is an essential component of the system. It is this type of platform that SBP plans to offer.

Smart transportation in cities is a complex ecosystem. Some of the most important players include the final users (the inhabitants of cities and those who visit them), local authorities (who have responsibility for urban planning and often run transportation services), transportation companies (such as for instance taxi companies and the companies that provide public transport), transportation equipment manufacturers (such as car companies or train companies), sensors manufacturers (that is, the manufacturers of the sensors that will be incorporated in the transportation equipment and used to monitor traffic), and data analytics companies (that analyze that transportation data powering traffic optimization services and maintenance optimization services).

Large companies (such as for instance GE and Siemens) play a crucial role in this ecosystem as ‘system integrators’. They produce the costly equipment such as trains and trams and ensure that the sensors and their software are successfully integrated into this equipment. They already offer advanced analytics-based operation and maintenance services in other industries on the basis of their own platforms and applications. For instance, GE offers maintenance and optimization services for fleets of wind turbines to energy firms with their own proprietary applications. These companies are keen to extend their ‘system integration’ services to smart cities and, in particular, smart transportation. To do so, they will need to rely on cloud platform services and develop specific smart transportation applications (including analytics) – which they will need to develop in-house or procure.

There are numerous issues in the ecosystem. Specifically, there are a lot of connections between innovations. For instance, cloud platform innovation depends on both innovation in data collection via sensors and innovation in data transmission. In addition, different actors need to agree: the true potential of smart transportation happens only if both cars and roads have sensors, and the sensors and application use standard formats so that they can communicate with each other.

Based on the description of the system, draw an ecosystem map using the mapping technique you learnt in the module.

Using the risks type discussed in the module, and with the help of the map you developed in point a., discuss the risks that SBP faces in developing its platform.