Community PaperTransforming Infrastructure: Frameworks for Bringing the Fourth Industrial Revolution to InfrastructureNovember 2019 2Transforming Infrastructure: Frameworks for Bringing the Fourth Industrial Revolution to InfrastructureWorld Economic Forum91-93 route de la CapiteCH-1223 Cologny/GenevaSwitzerlandTel.: +41 (0)22 869 1212Fax: +41 (0)22 786 2744Email: contact@weforum.orgwww.weforum.org© 2019 World Economic Forum. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system. 3Transforming Infrastructure: Frameworks for Bringing the Fourth Industrial Revolution to Infrastructure45669111216161616181819202021232325282930Executive summary Introduction The guidebook: four questions on technology and infrastructure 1. How can technological disruption in the white space of infrastructure be encouraged? 2. How does the public sector drive innovation in technology by creating frameworks that encourage exchange while protecting intellectual property? 3. How can data and analytics help to prioritize and optimize infrastructure decision-making? 4. How can viable commercial models be created via catalytic policy and regulatory frameworks? Case studies: addressing the four questions 1. Technological disruption in the white space of infrastructure Systemic future-proofing: The Zhuzhou light rail Procurement models for disruption: The Michael Tippett School 2. Public-sector innovation in technology via creation of frameworks Creating partnerships for progress: Dynamic in-road charging infrastructure for electric vehiclesPartnering for environmental clean-up: The case of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) 3. Data analytics for prioritizing and optimizing decision-making Data analytics for planning: Indian power generation and the transmission planning modelData analytics for operation: Port of Brisbane’s nonlinear channel optimization simulator system 4. Viable commercial models via catalytic policy and regulatory frameworks Smart(er) city policy frameworks: Indore’s successful waste management Proactive government partners: Bangladesh’s Solar Home System programme ConclusionContributorsEndnotes Contents 4Transforming Infrastructure: Frameworks for Bringing the Fourth Industrial Revolution to InfrastructureExecutive summaryThe technological advances of the Fourth Industrial Revolution have fundamentally altered society in ways both seen and unseen. This digital transformation has changed how people live and work, and everything in-between. One area of daily life, however, seems to be largely missing out on this revolution: infrastructure. It remains one of the least digitally transformed sectors of the economy. While individual examples of highly advanced infrastructure systems exist, the sector at large lags behind others in innovation, a fact made all the more apparent by infrastructure’s ubiquity. When the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Infrastructure gathered for its annual meeting in Dubai in November 2018, it sought to understand why.As it began to think through solutions, the Council found a situation full of opportunity. Infrastructure is far from being a staid industry devoid of innovation – indeed, new technologies and ideas are flourishing. Integrating these innovations, which could change the way infrastructure is designed, developed and delivered, requires aligning stakeholders, implementing effective strategies and creating fertile enabling environments. This will allow existing innovation into the space and provide opportunities for new ideas.The Council thus decided to create a guidebook, contained here, that explores major questions about how to bring the Fourth Industrial Revolution to infrastructure. The guidebook surveys some of the fundamental issues and provides robust frameworks that can help public- and private-sector decision-makers decide how to create the right enabling environments for their situations. It also contains case studies to help illustrate how public- and private-sector entities can work together to integrate exciting existing technologies into infrastructure and spur the creation of new innovations. Overall, the content illustrates three main imperatives:1. The importance of focusing on community outcomes, not physical assets: It is tempting to define future infrastructure requirements in terms of specific assets: “this city needs light rail” or “we must expand our motorway” are some examples. Defining projects in terms of social outcomes, such as delivering affordable public mobility between specific points, leaves an opening for technological innovation to deliver those outcomes. 2. The need to adopt a “flexible architecture” approach to infrastructure planning: The technological transformation of infrastructure can be accelerated by recognizing that, while technology-driven disruption cannot be predicted,