The GSMA Mobile for Development recently published a new report that explores the potential of frontier technologies such as IoT and big data analytics to improve urban mobility in Malaysia. To launch the report, on 17 October, the GSMA co-hosted a session with the British High Commission, Kuala Lumpur, at the Malaysia Urban Forum in Shah Alam titled: “Harnessing digital technology and data for sustainable urban mobility in Malaysia”. Together with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), micro-mobility provider Tryke, and mobile operator Maxis, the challenges of data sharing and data-driven transport policies were discussed for implementing effective urban mobility.
The challenge of urban mobility
Today, 78% of Malaysians live in cities and rely heavily on private cars, leading to congestion and loss of productivity from time lost in commuting as well as high GHG emissions. Malaysia’s recent National Energy policy (2022-2040) has set a target of 50% modal share for urban public transport to lower carbon emissions.
To achieve this target, the country must provide more integrated and convenient public transport that is easily accessible to all citizens, and better road traffic management. It must also increase the use of green energy to power vehicles and infrastructure.
The need for effective data sharing
Frontier technologies such as IoT and big data analytics offer immense potential to improve urban mobility. Sensing devices embedded in vehicles and infrastructure enable smart traffic management, allowing better traffic flow on roads and reducing congestion and emissions. Data from connected IoT devices, and a variety of other sources in the city, facilitates a better understanding of the existing infrastructure and mobility patterns.
There is an opportunity for regional and city authorities to exploit this rich data and modify existing mobility infrastructure and the public transport offering, based on an understanding of the existing infrastructure and people’s mobility needs. However, this data can only be leveraged if effective data-sharing frameworks are in place, and only through effective coordination between federal, state and city-level institutions.
Currently, a data-sharing culture for policymaking is still nascent in Malaysia and data tends to remain in silos. Nonetheless, the country has made progress in developing data-sharing frameworks for public sector as well as public-private data sharing. As highlighted during the session at the Malaysia Urban Forum by Gopi Ganesalingam, Senior Vice President at MDEC, this progress could give impetus to improving mobility planning.
Our role is to create an ecosystem in which start-ups and innovators can deliver and scale the sustainability solutions they are creating and be able to build the partnerships needed to do this
Gopi Ganesalingam, MDEC
Public-private data sharing as the game changer
Today, 78% of Malaysians live in cities and rely heavily on private cars, leading to congestion and loss of productivity
Layering public transport data onto city infrastructure data from the public sector is generally the starting point for using data for mobility planning. But accelerating sustainable urban mobility via data-driven policymaking will require data-sharing partnerships with private sector data-holding companies such as micro-mobility providers, navigation apps, and mobile operators, that can provide reliable insights into the way people move around a city.
Partnering with private data holding companies requires alignment of interests and sustainable business models. This was reflected in the perspectives shared by Tryke and Maxis on the panel. To advocate for more enabling micromobility infrastructure and legislation in the country, Tryke shares its mobility insights with local authorities to build a case for the service it provides.
We need more micro-mobility solutions. We hope the data we share with local authorities will provide the evidence needed to create more enabling conditions for micromobility
Timothy Wong, Tryke
The need for long-term financing
Sustainable, long-term financing to scale successful data-sharing pilots can be challenging in Malaysia. A recent pilot project on a Smart Integrated Mobility Management system (SIMMS), developed in partnership with the Global Future Cities Program, illustrates how wide range of public and private sector transport data can be integrated for better mobility planning. However, to be sustainable over time, these initiatives require long-term financing.
Commenting on the project, Maimunah Jaffar, Director of Technology and Innovation at IRDA, outlined how such pilot projects have been difficult to scale both due to the financial investment required and the complex layers of transport management involving many government agencies. These projects have also suffered due to the lack of buy-in to acquire and integrate the data from public and private transit providers.
One of the biggest challenges to developing data platforms is finding the investment to scale pilots
Maimunah Jaffar, IRDA
What is the role of mobile operators?
Sustainable, long-term financing to scale successful data-sharing pilots can be challenging in Malaysia. A recent pilot project on a Smart Integrated Mobility Management system (SIMMS), developed in partnership with the Global Future Cities Program, illustrates how wide range of public and private sector transport data can be integrated for better mobility planning. However, to be sustainable over time, these initiatives require long-term financing.
We would like to be long-term partners in any data-sharing partnership with the public sector on fair terms. For this, we need to know who in the public sector has ownership of the initiative, and what the data need is.
Qing Lin Fang, Maxis
A data-first culture for mobility planning
There has been momentum in Malaysia in developing a data-first culture. The lead government agency tasked with leading the public sector to move towards a data-sharing culture for planning and policymaking is the Malaysia Administrative Modernisation and Planning Unit, which has drafted both the DPDSA and the national data-sharing framework in the last year to encourage data-sharing. These frameworks need to be widely operationalised and publicised to encourage more data-sharing for urban mobility planning and accelerate Malaysian cities’ progress in more sustainable urban mobility.
To find out more about the current status of urban mobility in Malaysia and how technology and data can make it more sustainable, read the GSMA Mobile for Development report.
THIS INITIATIVE IS CURRENTLY FUNDED BY THE UK FOREIGN, COMMONWEALTH & DEVELOPMENT OFFICE (FCDO), AND SUPPORTED BY THE GSMA AND ITS MEMBERS.
