3.3 Knowledge transfer from Shift2Rail

Challenge

New digital technologies can provide better informed decisions on street and water maintenance. But do we really need to reinvent the wheel? We should be able to benefit from advances in digitalization made in completely different areas of society.
In the EU, cooperation on railways has resulted in a lot of research and development on smart maintenance and data-driven management. In a study by the
the EU-supported comprehensive research program Shift2Rail, we have investigated what Swedish actors in water, sewage and street maintenance can learn from the European railway sector.

Solution

There are many examples of rail technologies and applications that are highly relevant to municipalities. Some are directly transferable. For example, new methods for monitoring and inspecting bridges, tunnels and other structures, and assessing the condition of facilities via machine learning and AI.
Other applications provide important inspiration. These include unified cost models, common definitions, new business models and BlockChain technology, or sectoral analysis of skills needs. However, water and sanitation is much more fragmented, with many small municipalities. For faster digitization, more collaboration is needed, both between municipalities and with academia and industry.

Impact on society

1. Faster diffusion of solutions between different technology areas.
2. increased efficiency and a broader skills base in the municipal sector.
3. saving public resources by learning from the mistakes and successes of others.