Quantifying the role of IT in the ITS sector

The important role of Information Technologies (IT) on the research and innovation (R& I) as well as on systems planning and implementation (SP& I) and operation of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is well known and almost by definition accepted. The relationship between IT and ITS, has been the subject of numerous research investigations and publications most of them relying on qualitative assessments and realizations about the nature and extent of the relationship. This paper is primarily concerned with the development and testing of a novel quantification methodology for the calculation (estimation) of the extent to which IT contributes to ITS (R& I and/or SP& I). The proposed methodology is based on the tools and concepts provided by the theory of production and more particularly on the calculation of the Productive Efficiency of the ITS sector within a given geographical area, with and without the contribution of IT. After a brief literature review, the theoretical formulation for the estimation procedure is given and then it is tested with data drawn from a wider questionnaire survey which the author has recently conducted in the frame of another of his research studies focused on innovation production in the ITS sector.