Intelligent Transportation Systems in a Developing Country: Benefits and Challenges of Implementation

The increasing need for improving mobility and road safety has led developing countries to make significant changes in their infrastructure, especially when it comes to the modernization of the transport infrastructure. The purpose of this paper is to present the experience and challenges of the implementation of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) in Qatar, a developing country in the Middle East. ITS has been developed in the country and currently in the implementation stage. A detailed review of existing and proposed ITS technologies is provided. Many challenges were identified to achieve a fully functional, practical, and integratable ITS network. Some of these challenges include coordination with different stakeholders, adopting different countries’ ITS systems, keeping up with the technology, integration with existing systems, and budget constraints. The paper provides lessons learned that can benefit other developing countries going through the same transition.