Using Technology to Enhance Mobility

All right, TGIF everyone. Welcome back to In Case You Missed It, GovTech's weekly government technology news roundup, where we're going to talk about some of the biggest news from the past week and give you our thoughts on what it means for government citizens in the market. I'm Dustin Haisler, Chief Innovation Officer for Government Technology Magazine, excited to be one of your hosts. Joe Morris is still out on paternity leave, but not to worry, he'll be back next month. Today we're diving into the world of mobility and transportation, specifically how technologies can unlock new approaches and innovations as it relates to kind of our mobility and transportation landscape. So we'll have a great segment in our part 2 with Charlie Torito, Chief Growth Officer for Hayden AI. But first, let's start with the news of the week. So there's a few stories that caught my attention this week as our theme is centered around transportation and mobility. And let's start first with this amazing GovTech feature that really talked about looking 30 years ahead. What will roads look like going forward? Safe, autonomous, airborne, all kinds of really interesting perspectives and commentary brought into this, but also getting us to rethink delivery infrastructure, logistics infrastructure. So GovTech tapped into a whole host of seasoned transportation experts. So you don't want to miss that as you get an opportunity to kind of see what the experts think we're going to see beyond not just the next decade, but 30 years from now. I think as we look at the future of transportation and mobility, it's these types of exercises that will get us to look at the exponential nature of technology and what its impact is going to be on the built environment. Look at how much things have changed just over the last 100 years as it relates to our transportation infrastructure. Fast forward to the technology explosion that's taking place. This radical built environment is going to look completely different, and it's not going to take 30 years to do it. So this is a great way for those of you that are interested in, you know, regional planning and urban mobility and all of the nuances associated with that. You want to check this out. Our next article that caught my attention was around federal funding. We know federal funding's hot, and the US Department of Transportation announced a billion-dollar project basically to undo past infrastructure harm. And so they announced this in Alabama. It was a new pilot project really looking at how to avoid some of the pitfalls of past infrastructure projects that have harmed and divided communities. And so this project has about $195 million in funding the first year with $50 million in subsequent grants and about $145 million for the capital itself. just for the hardcore infrastructure. But I think this is really interesting because as we look at the explosion of digital equity and really looking at inclusion and all of these really important dynamics now as it relates to the physical infrastructure, we're going to start to see a lot more of this rather than just, you know, doing technology and doing infrastructure for the sake of, you know, doing that activity. Now, how do we do it and ensure that everyone is brought along the way? So, expect to see a lot more on this, and we'll be tracking some of the federal funding use cases for it. Lastly, micromobility infrastructure projects need more data to succeed. This caught my attention because as we look at this built environment and as we look at transportation and mobility and micromobility, data is really the new currency of unlocking these use cases. Of course, you know, there's a lot of things that need to happen to the built environment. There's cybersecurity concerns. There's a variety of new kind of initiatives that will need to take place there, but data is going to be the driver that helps unlock that. And so we're going to talk a little bit about some of that data today, but this was a great piece that really stressed the importance of that data. And so for those of you in local government agencies, transportation agencies, that's something that, you know, you can tap into right now, leveraging your existing fleet vehicles in a variety of new ways. And so that's a great segue to our special guest. Let's bring in Charlie Tarito, who is the Chief Growth Officer for Hayden AI, which is a really interesting new early-stage startup that is, you know, doing some incredible work in the market, especially around this transportation. So Charlie, first of all, thanks so much for joining me today.

Thanks, Dustin. It's great to be here.

So, you know, let's just dive right in and maybe we'll start with your background because you've been in this market for a long time. So share a little bit about your background and your role at Hayden AI.

Yeah, great. Thanks, thanks for having me again. Again, my name is Charlie Torito and I'm the Chief Growth Officer for Hayden AI. I'm relatively new to the company. I started back in March, but I've been around the smart mobility space space for quite a while. Prior to— I started my career in Washington, D.C., working for a member of Congress, and then I spent about a decade working with the automotive industry for a trade association that represented all of the major automobile manufacturers. And then for the last 10 years, I worked for a leader in the automated enforcement smart mobility space. And so I've been around this type of technology. I've seen the different iterations of it through the years, and I've seen how it can be used to really enhance mobility and to make the movement of people, whether it's in cities or even in more rural areas, that much better.

Absolutely. So now, for those not familiar with Hayden AI, can you share a little bit about how it is approaching this smart mobility landscape?

Sure, you know, Hayden AI is a global leader in transportation technology powered by artificial intelligence. Our team of experts in machine learning and data science is looking at ways to apply that to transportation and government technology to improve access, to increase safety and efficiency, and ultimately improve sustainability of transportation in cities and municipalities really around the world.

So, you know, as you kind of look at this landscape around the world, transportation has changed so much. Tell me some of the biggest unmet needs or challenges that you're seeing these transportation leaders face today.

I think there are a lot of them. There's no question that One of the biggest challenges they're facing are the different modes of transportation. Over the last 10 to 15 years, there's been a significant change in the types of transportation that these systems are dealing with. And moreover, the technologies that are being used to drive or to power or enable these technologies, whether it's micromobility that you talked about. Uh, in, in the, the opening, whether it's different technologies on, on more, um, more historic forms of transportation, uh, like transit or, um, other types of, of public transportation, um, or whether it's emerging technologies in the automotive sector, um, you know, electric vehicles or Autonomous vehicles. There is any number of new, new transportation modes that are entering the system every day. And I think one of the biggest challenges for transportation planners is figuring out how to bring all of those technologies together and, and get the maximum amount of efficiency as you can. Even when you look at some of the different ridesharing concepts and how those have changed the way we move in the cities that we live in. There's really been over the last decade a tremendous growth in the different types of transportation that are available. And I think that, you know, not to touch on another segment that you mentioned in your opening, but I think this transportation bill that was recently passed really comes at the right time. I think it will bring a significant amount of funding to transportation at the federal, state, and local level, and that's needed right now. Not only is our infrastructure in need of repair and attention, but figuring out ways to bring all of these different modes together and introducing new technologies is going to be essential to getting the true benefit and value out of all these different technologies.

Yeah, I think it's well said. And, you know, bringing everything together seems to be a theme that is hitting so many verticals. But as you said, this once-in-a-generational funding is providing some really interesting opportunities, and transportation agencies seem to really be front and center for an opportunity to reimagine the way that they deliver services. So one thing that really struck me as interesting with Hayden AI is you've, you know, focused on so many different layers of this, you know, kind of question this challenge that you were talking about, and you're looking at tackling things like automated enforcement and taking the physical, what used to be very intensive, or just the inefficiencies that were always there because someone was parked in the bus lane and automating the actual enforcement of that. Can you share a little bit about how you're approaching that?

Yeah, you know what, we have a very unique piece of technology that we've developed that uses automated intelligence or machine learning to assist transit agencies with their goal of keeping their transit lanes free and clear for the movement of their assets. I mean, that's a very important part of the system. The more we're going to rely on public transportation, the more we have to make sure that the technologies that we're applying to public transportation aid in making that as efficient as possible. You know, you can have as many dedicated bus lanes as possible, but if vehicles are parking in those bus lanes, they're not going to enhance transportation. They're actually going to create more challenges for transportation. And, you know, when you look at our technology, there's no question that the initial application of that is going to be for enforcement. We'll have— we have cameras that are— that will be placed on the inside of transit buses, and those cameras will allow agencies to more effectively enforce the use of their lanes. But there are also applications for enforcing at bus stops, for enforcing crosswalks or block-the-box at intersections, There are applications for providing valuable data that can be used. You know, a typical automated enforcement system is really a camera that captures a still image and a video, and those are used to issue violations. Our systems are a little bit different. They're using machine learning to help us actually understand the roadway. And provide valuable data to these transit agencies so that they can get a more complete picture, not only of the challenges that they're facing with enforcing these transit-only lanes or these bus stops or these intersections or the bike lanes or some other dedicated transit lane, but also providing important data that they can use to make changes in the future to their system overall, understanding what are the barriers, what's interacting with that system. And one of the things that I've learned about the smart mobility space is that there's no end to the data that's generated by all of the different sensors that are operating today, from traffic cameras to automated enforcement cameras, to RFID systems for tolling. All of those data are— all of those systems are collecting significant amounts of data. What I think many cities struggle with, many municipalities struggle with, is how to bring all of that data and tell a story that allows them to apply that knowledge to enhance their systems. And that's one of the things that our tools can provide. And we're really looking forward to having an opportunity to share that technology, not just with, you know, cities, but with even private sector individuals or fleets as well that are looking to understand how better to enhance the curb. How do they deliver more effectively or more efficiently? How is it that they can avoid costly penalties for, you know, for having to— having no choice but to park in prolonged periods in zones where they're not allowed to park. And so there are tremendous amounts of opportunities for the technology that we're offering, and I think enforcement really just scratches the surface.

Yeah, I love that. And, you know, you kind of described basically layering on to what's already being done. I mean, a bus is already out on the street, already driving the route. So why not collect insight and data from that without having to have a bunch of manual processes behind the scenes and understand things? So it's kind of leveraging that existing momentum and use case to extract more insight. So I want to kind of dive into the enforcement side of things because I think it's such an important area for transportation agencies today. And especially right now, there's so many priorities to balance. I mean, we kind of have almost You know, a little bit of shiny object fatigue because there's so many different things for these agencies to focus on. Why is it so vital for these transportation agencies to look at enforcement as kind of a starting point, maybe for some of their efforts?

You know, I'm not sure if I'd say it's a starting point, but I think, you know, anyone who's involved with planning, I think, knows that there are probably 3 key elements: education, Engineering, and then enforcement. Those 3 E's are all synonymous with a well-balanced traffic system. And enforcement is certainly not the be-all end-all of a traffic system. If an intersection is designed poorly or a road is designed poorly, if the rules of the road aren't shared and people aren't educated, we see backups all the time in our transportation system. You know, you see it oftentimes with things like roundabouts where from an engineering perspective, they're a great tool. From an education perspective, some drivers aren't comfortable or don't understand quite how to operate in that. And so that tool can end up being more of creating sometimes more of a blockage than it does an efficiency. Our transportation system. And so I think it all has to be looked at together. And an important part of this element is enforcement. If roadways are designed to have people traveling at a certain speed, but people travel at another speed, it becomes inefficient and it can create different challenges. The entire transit system, the entire transportation system is tied together. And so the more data that we can share, the more real-time information we can give, will only enhance the way that system operates. And the more that we can ensure that the system's being used the way it was designed to be used, using enforcement, the more we can do to make sure that That system operates the way it should operate as well. As I said, you can design the most efficient bus rapid transit system in America, but if people use that dedicated red lane as a parking lane and it's not clear for the bus to travel on, it's not going to give the benefit that it provided. And I think if cities and other municipalities are going to take the time and make the investment in those systems, it behooves them to enforce the rules around those systems to ensure that they operate the way they're supposed to operate.

Yeah, I think that's a really interesting point. And maybe for those in our audience that aren't familiar with how some of these systems work today, what does the current kind of enforcement landscape look like for some of these transportation systems? How manual is the process today?

No, I would say it's— there are probably a couple different ways that it— that there— those systems are enforced. One is just through standard policing. There are officers that will pay attention to those specific areas and look for people who are either parking or riding in a lane that they shouldn't ride in. Another way is through fixed camera systems where cities have tried to identify the major choke points and use fixed automated enforcement systems at those major choke points to enforce those systems. Ours is a little bit different. Ours is a camera mounted on a bus and it's a mobile platform. And, and that's a really important differentiator. Obviously, with a fixed camera system, it's a point in time and only one part of the the system is going to be monitored. And when you think about a bus rapid transit lane, more often than not, those lanes go several miles and they go through several different neighborhoods and communities. And so while a fixed camera can help alleviate some of the major choke points, it's never going to be able to monitor the entire bus lane or bus system. Our cameras are mounted inside the bus. They provide mobile enforcement, and I think they're able to then, at any point in time, enforce those lanes in a way that an officer or a fixed system couldn't do. It's not feasible to have a police officer or a transit officer monitoring every mile of a bus rapid transit lane or even every half or quarter mile. But it is feasible to have a camera on a bus that can provide all of the information, all of the data, all of the requirements that are needed in order to effectively enforce a violation of the rules of that bus rapid transit lane. And hopefully that's what our systems will do.

So you kind of alluded at the beginning of our conversation that, you know, the data side of things can unlock all kinds of really interesting use cases and maybe future delivery robots and other things. What are some of the other use cases that you enable with your technology, whether it be digital twins or, you know, maybe even the ability to help accomplish some sustainability initiatives? I'd love to get your thoughts on other, you know, benefits of the technology.

Yeah, I think one of them is certainly a digital twin, being able to create that almost real-time view of several different elements of a system and understanding how that system can be impacted by changes or by things that happen at other parts in the system. And then being able to use that digital twin as almost a sandbox to think about different ways to eliminate those choke points is very valuable. You know, our systems have the ability to capture 21 different objects at any given time. And those 21 different objects are all objects that can be making an impact on that system at any given time. And so the ability to capture that data and then to use that data to understand ways to enhance a traffic or transportation system without having to close roads or without having to use modeling data. Being able to use real-time data is a really important thing. Another important use of our technology is going to be through the potential to do asset management, to understand the different assets that are supposed to be helping drive that system to know maybe before a public works department does that a traffic light is out at a certain intersection, to know that that important signage about parking restrictions is is missing or not missing, to know whether or not permitted construction work is occurring when it's supposed to be occurring or not occurring. All of those things are essential to ensuring that the system is operating the way it's designed. And all of that is information that we'll be able to provide through our camera systems. And then there are any number of other data tools that we can use. I think the one important balance is how to collect that data, but still maintain privacy for the individuals that We are— or for the system and the individuals that are using that system. And that's very important to us. I think data privacy is key to our technology, and it will, as we move forward, be an important part of a city's decision on whether or not to deploy certain types of technology. And we feel that our data security practices that the way our system is built, that it will not only ensure that technology, but— or that privacy, but will promote more data privacy than any of the other systems that the city has or municipality has deployed. And that's an important part of this discussion.

Yeah, absolutely. Privacy has been, you know, top of mind for agencies, and we've seen, you know, other emerging technologies that haven't focused on that up front like Hayden AI is doing. really struggle with adoption due to that. So it's great that y'all are taking a very proactive approach to the transparency associated with that. So now, as you kind of look to the future, how are you looking to help transportation agencies deal with the future? Any thoughts on future use cases or behaviors that our audience should take note of?

I think that what we probably will see is how can we use that technology to assist beyond just that one, that transit mode? You know, what can we do to use that technology to enforce the use of bike lanes for all of the municipalities incorporating dedicated bike lanes into their transit system? When there are other modes of transportation like trolleys or trains that are elevated or work on city streets as well? How can we apply that technology to those modes of transportation? And then lastly, how can we take that data and visualize that data for agencies So that they can make real-time decisions about the traffic system. How can we continue to refine the data that we're collecting and use that data to really make the mobility lie or the lives of everyone relying on that form of mobility to be better? How can we move? How can we use that data? to move individuals or vehicles from point A to point B with the least possible disruption and the maximum amount of efficiency.

An exciting future ahead. Now, the easiest question for you today: where can our audience go to learn more about Hayden AI and some of your capabilities?

Yeah, absolutely. You know, the, the best place to go is hayden.ai. That website has a great deal of information about what we do and how we do it. And I'd encourage anyone who has any interest in our company to visit that website and learn a little bit more about how we're bringing not only a new era in enforcement, but how we're bringing new technology to transit agencies and to governments interested in bringing a smart mobility transportation system to their city or municipality.

Exciting stuff. Well, that's all the time we have today. Thanks, Charlie, again for hopping on and sharing your insights on everything that's happening in this smart transportation and mobility landscape. And a special thanks to Hayden AI for making today's episode possible. All the links that we talked about to our stories, as well as the Hayden AI website link, will be in our show notes. You definitely want to check that out. And tune in on Fridays at 12 PM Pacific time on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter for more In Case You Missed It. And now streaming on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, so make sure you subscribe, like, and share. We hope you have a great weekend, and we'll see you next Friday.

Thanks, Ryan.