AROUND the world, governments are leveraging advancements in technology to make cities smarter and more efficient, and Singapore is no exception. One such technology used by cities is Smart Traffic Management - a solution that involves capturing, storing and processing vast amounts of data for cities to operate in a safer, more efficient environment. Informed by trends such as this, IDC now predicts there will be 163 zettabytes of data in the global datasphere by 2025 - a ten-fold increase over what was created in 2016.

Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) have played an important role in enhancing commuters' travel experiences in Singapore. For example, Singapore was a pioneer in implementing electronic congestion charging to manage traffic jams with the introduction of the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) scheme in 1998.

Nevertheless, a growing number of vehicles, an increasingly denser population and a changing technological landscape have resulted in new transportation challenges in our land-scarce nation. The technology we use to manage traffic issues must evolve - starting with a potential satellite-based ERP system that is currently being field-tested. As we progress further on our Smart Nation journey, the Internet of Things (IoT) will continue to play an important role in enabling Singapore to improve its urban mobility.