In November 2021 we hosted the webinar 'Financing InfraTech for the Climate Transition' to explore solutions to galvanise InfraTech adoption at scale. The expert panel discussed what makes InfraTech investible and how to de-risk technology and mobilise more investment into InfraTech, specifically in the context of the climate transition.
It compiles 65 InfraTech use cases / case studies that illustrate applications and benefits of technology applied to infrastructure, including technology used in infrastructure to respond to COVID-19 and other pandemics. This page provides a description of each use case, categorised by its relationship to the InfraTech Agenda Elements (defined below).
The GI Hub InfraTech Use Case Library covers a diverse range of applications for technology in the transport, energy, water and waste sectors and across the infrastructure project life cycle – from strategy and planning through to renewal and disposal.
Sensors, IoT, analytics and AI are technology types that feature prominently in the library across all sectors and stages. This is unsurprising given that these technologies are typically interdependent across the digital value chain.
Among use cases analysed in this stocktake, more than 70% are in the operations and maintenance stage. This trend is observed across all sectors.
In total, 65 use cases in the transport, waste, water and energy sectors have been developed and analysed. From among these 65 use cases, more than 130 technology-specific case study examples are provided, covering more than 40 countries across all major global regions. This use case library also encompasses high- and low-cost options and applications in both developed and developing countries.
The GI Hub InfraTech Use Case Library contains use cases for a diverse range of applications. These cover the transport, energy, water and waste sectors and the infrastructure project lifecycle from strategy and planning through to renewal and disposal.
To create value for the end users, digital technologies would typically form part of a digital value chain, from data capture (using sensors) through to correlation and action (using analytics and artificial intelligence [AI]). The heat map below shows the interdependencies between different technology types across this value chain, among use cases contained within the library. As can be seen, sensors, internet of things (IoT), analytics and AI feature most prominently in the library, which is unsurprising given that these technology types are critical requirements for most digital technology value chains.
The charts below show the recurrence of different types of technologies represented in the library, by sector and by project phase.
Among the 65 use cases in our library, the majority are use cases in the operations and maintenance stage of a project lifecycle. Use cases in the transport and water sectors also feature prominently in the library. It is important to note that these charts represent what is currently in our library and are not representative of the market as a whole.
Intelligent process optimisation for water treatment - AI-driven data analytics to treat water to a better standard and reduce operational costs by up to 10%
Digital twins for structural condition assessment of power stations - Creating a structural model or digital twin of the entire power station asset. The physics-based model represents its entire physical replica in absolute detail and accuracy.
Automated pre-fabrication of stainless-steel pipelines - Automation of labour-intensive pre-fabrication processes to reduce time, cost and waste and to enhance worker safety
Automated robot cranes for ports - Automation of crane operations in ports to reduce operational costs and increase capacity while providing a safer working environment
Sensors and robotics for bridge maintenance - Sensors, robotics and a special dehumidifying system to reduce bridge maintenance costs and increase asset life
Electronic tolling - Electronic tolling technologies to optimise transport efficiency and increase toll revenue
Dynamic road pricing - Dynamic pricing to optimise traffic flows, enhance revenue and reduce congestion
Satellite-based navigation to optimise traffic flows - The use of GPS and other technologies to track and guide public transport to enhance safety and efficiency
Predictive maintenance of physical assets - Sensors and data analytics to monitor assets and predict maintenance requirements, thereby reducing operational costs and extending the life of assets
Knowledge access platforms for construction and maintenance - Digital knowledge platforms and devices to create a ‘single source of truth’ for construction data, thereby increasing efficiency, reducing cost, minimising waste and providing safer working environments
Augmented and virtual reality for training and inspection - Utilising the latest visualisation technologies to enhance worker training and provide greater access to information on the job, thereby enhancing safety, increasing productivity and reducing cost
3D printing for maintenance - On-site 3D printing facilities for rapid response to maintenance requirements at a reduced cost
Smart cities as a service - Smart cities-as-a-service and platform-as-a-service models to replace traditional vertical chain models with more efficient, scalable and interoperable architecture based on microservices to optimise and maximise the provision of existing public services and goods
Heritage recovery with 3D printing - Using advanced 3D scanning and printing to totally or partially replicate heritage pieces
Used cooking oil and grease trap waste converted to biodiesel - Innovative grease trap collection technique to reduce build-up of fats, oils and grease in sewer networks and reduce maintenance costs while providing alternative sources of fuel for renewable energy
Smart energy networks - Various technologies provide optimised levels of heat, cold and electricity to users in the new Méridia district in Nice, France.
Low greenhouse gas emission wastewater treatment - Monitoring technologies to better track and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, estimated to contribute 26% of the greenhouse gas emissions of the water supply chain
Photovoltaics for 100% off-grid portable construction cabins - A 100% off-grid, stand-alone, portable cabin that uses photovoltaic modules to charge Lithium-Ion battery storage in order to operate appliances required for office and camp use. It does not require any electricity generated by burning fuel.
Last mile infrastructure for water provision in developing countries - Inexpensive and decentralised digital water supply, metering and payment kiosks to deliver inclusive access to clean water
Water quality monitoring for Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) compliance - The solution also provided insightful reports on the day-to-day trends of treated sewage parameters for each STP and the overall trend in the city wastewater treatment.
Water height and flood management system - Real-time collection and analysis of flooding data to enable targeted responses and predict future conditions to support governments in building more resilient infrastructure
Smart AI-based waste management in stations - Robots embedded with AI to collect rubbish and clean transport hubs, including by spraying vaporised Hydrogen Peroxide to improve train hygiene standards during pandemics
Demand-responsive transport - Public transport options that respond to the specific needs of users to enhance service delivery
AI for disease outbreak and pandemic - AI and thermal cameras to more efficiently and safely detect people displaying symptoms of illness, enabling a tailored response to pandemics to minimise community and economic disruption
Smart street lighting - Sensor technologies to adjust lighting to respond to public needs, optimise energy usage, reduce traffic accidents and create a safer environment for pedestrians
Drone for monitoring, surveillance and inspection - Pilot-driven and autonomous drones to undertake otherwise dangerous and time-consuming tasks, such as inspecting operational network assets, thereby reducing costs and keeping workers out of harm’s way – including during times of pandemic
Augmented and virtual reality for planning and design - Utilising the latest visualisation technologies to enable members of the community to experience a proposed design or concept in a real-life environment to help garner feedback and shape ongoing policy and planning agendas
Transition to electric vehicle transport networks - Governments transitioning to electric vehicle fleets to advance the technology, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars, and provide cleaner and more liveable cities
Hyperloop - Development of hyperloop technology with the aim of providing a fast and affordable form of ground transport between city centres
Unmanned aerial vehicles for passenger travel - Development of unmanned aerial vehicle technology aimed at providing alternative transport modes, reducing travel times and reducing road congestion
Smart metering - Real-time monitoring of water usage to reduce water loss and enhance operator revenue sources, as well as better utilise scarce water resources
Remote monitoring for algae risk in water bodies - Drones and satellite technology with advanced risk modelling techniques to better manage algae risk in water, reduce water treatment costs and enhance water quality
Smart parking infrastructure - Sensors and communications devices to better utilise parking spaces and support drivers to leave roadways faster, reducing up to 30% of traffic congestion
Real-time traffic management - Sensors, connectivity technologies and data analytics to better manage traffic flows, thereby optimising road assets and reducing congestion
Weather and pedestrian sensors - Sensor technologies to better track movement of pedestrians and real-time weather conditions to reduce accidents and optimise traffic flows
Electric vehicle charging cloud platform - A cloud platform for scaling up electric vehicle charging operations and managing wide charging networks more efficiently to lower costs and improve operational efficiency
AI-enhanced digital maritime logistics platform - Advanced digital platforms to improve data flows between stakeholders, thereby optimising port assets and enabling goods to be delivered more quickly and reliably
Digital service platform for transportation hubs - Connectivity technologies, cloud computing and data analytics to create operational efficiencies in transport hubs
Digital twins - The integration of data, including real-time sensor data, to better visualise and optimise assets, ensure continuity of services and make well-informed new investment decisions
Smart sensing system for water service and urban mobility - A data collection system to provide decisionmakers with key data, such as flow of people or water consumption and quality to improve government planning and management capabilities
Digitising water access data for regulatory use - The collection of water access data for regulation (i.e. compliance and enforcement) in a system that is designed for cybersecurity from end to end and to minimise the risk at vulnerable locations, and which includes metering, logging, transfer of data, collection and ingestion in data storage, and visualisation of the data
Mobility as a service - Digital platform which integrates end-to-end trip planning across transport modes with payment methods to provide an enhanced service to users and improve transport access
Smart containers - Containers enabled with sensors (which can be replaced and updated as the technology develops) to track shipping deliveries and ensure goods can be quickly processed through ports with fewer losses of cargo
Decentralised microgrids and peer-to-peer energy transactions - Distributed ledger technologies to enable peer-to-peer electricity transactions, reduce transmission and distribution costs, and create greater reliability of electricity networks
Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) connectivity - Utilisation of data and connectivity between vehicles to avoid accidents and optimise traffic flows, where common standards for interoperability are essential