Digital changes in travel and transportation systems and services. Using the SVIDT method to assess digital opportunities and threats.

Abstract

Which digital changes in travel and transportation do service providers have to consider in shaping their future
offering portfolio? This contribution aims to answer this research question by assessing the digital changes that
travel and transportation service providers in Austria must consider in shaping their future offering portfolio. This
investigation will be carried out using the SVIDT method (Scholz, 2017) - a “Strengths, Vulnerability, and
Intervention Assessment related to Digital Threats”.
The investigation analyses the Austrian railway market. The focus lies on potential future services for rail travelers
and how service providers should shape their own offerings to support railway companies in their digital journey.
Concerning the potential future services, the investigation starts with a very high-level perspective and focuses on
end-to-end travel services going forward.
An impact factor based system model (Scholz & Tietje, 2002) on the example of the main actor in the Austrian
railway market will be constructed, modeling the relationship between service providers, the railway companies
and their environment. Then it will be shown how a multilevel system-actor analysis can be performed, looking at
the various levels of the system from individual level e.g. the individual traveler to the society level e.g. the
Austrian Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology.
Further digital changes that are highly relevant to affect the railway market are identified, described and their
impact on the constructed system model is assessed. Analyzed changes in this contribution range from fast reliable
wireless network infrastructure, mobile and digital workplace services, etc. to automatic train operation. A
formative scenario analysis applying a consistency assessment is being conducted, leading to a set of logically
consistent digital threat change scenarios. By using a vulnerability assessment, the logically consistent digital
threat change scenarios are prioritized. This process is described based on the example of one scenario.
Finally, the paper will discuss the results from this analysis of digital changes in travel and transportation. Arising
suggestions on how the SVIDT method can be used to analyze digital changes in the travel and transportation
ecosystem, will be given for further research.